Heart of Stone
by Jennocide
Summary: As a child Draco Malfoy was oblivious to his dark future entangled with the dark lord. He meets his childhood best friend Julia Blaire and their stories intertwine. As his destiny approaches he does not know which to choose...love or murder...
1. Chapter 1

**Jennifer's note: **Hello! I'm a new author here on FanFiction. I'm absolutely in love with Draco's character( what with all his mystery and darkness), and I wanted to delve deeper into that with this story by starting off with his childhood and his childhood best friend Julia. It picks up really quick after the 5th chapter so bare with me! And I'm American so I'm really sorry if I fail miserably at English slang : ) Please enjoy, and leave me whatever criticism or love you may want to leave. I don't own any of Rowling's characters, just mine.

* * *

**Chapter One **

The day was pristine. The sun set off its rays in perfect slivers of white crystal through the slants in the roof of the gazebo, and on my face. The meadow outside smelled of the muggy summer air that clung onto each blade of tall grass. Each blade swayed with the serenity. I lay there in the middle of the ground of the gazebo with my arms behind my head basking in my personal heaven, my mother and father back across our land and in our house probably making lemonade.

I was a child of six. That day my mother dressed me in a gauzy white dress and stockings and a red ribbon in my light brown hair. My toys and dolls lay littered across the gazebo entrance, totally abandoned when I realized the complete beauty of being out here.

I closed my delicate eyelids, thinking. I was insanely perceptive and zany by the time I was six. At the dinner parties my parents would host, I could barely keep my mouth shut to cousins, aunts, and uncles of all my adventures in the forest….the garden, and couldn't keep myself contained when my cousins insisted I bring them out here to play hide and seek.

Today I wanted to venture the meadow.

I got up and picked up my toy wooden sword I brought along to each adventure and walked down the gazebo steps. The grass went all the way up to my chest, as I was so little. Each blade was a jade color, small flowers sprouting every now and then. In the distance to my left I saw the thick forest and to the right the forest thinned and the tops of tall mansions sprouted from them. I picked the small yellow flowers, forming a small bunch in my tiny hands. I hadn't walked far- I was going to the left when I heard a cry of distinct pain to the right.

"AHHHHHHH!" Growled the voice. The voice was timid, childlike, but unlike mine.

In trouble? In pain?

I was worried. I instantly took off running, well, as fast as the meadow would let me. Now the blades jumped out of my way, trying to let me to get to the noise. I tripped once, ripping my stockings a little but I smashed the blades out of the way with my sword.

I was now approaching the dimmer light casted by the shadows of the forest. The forest was not as thick and impenetrable as towards the left and the sun still filtered through. I went past the edge of the forest, seeing nothing in particular just trees and leaves scattered on the earth.

"Hello?" I called. I raised my sword slightly and walked, whipping my hair every time I'd turn around at the slightest sound. The shadows would cast dark corners of the forest that would frighten me slightly but I continued. I heard the stream that ran through the forest, bubbling and rushing.

A few seconds later I heard cackling….Taunting, slightly masked by the stream.

"You're such a little git. We found you, now bloody calm down." A boy's voice said, laughter behind his menacing tone.

"No…no." The timid one I heard before.

"It'll only be for a second." A second commanding voice said.

I ran to the direction of the voices, making sure I was still hidden by the trees.

At last I found him.

Two burly boys held a smaller one in their large ham-like grips, trying to drag him across the earth to the bubbling stream. The smaller one tried to dig his legs in the earth, joshing about and thrashing his arms saying "no." The other boys just laughed, continuing to grab and pull him. I realized at that moment what they were trying to do. Their hands were at his shoulders, they wanted to put his head beneath the water.

At that instant I jumped from the cover of the shadows and my hiding spot and into the light of the sun through the trees.

"Stop!" I commanded. My six year old voice was hoarse and out of breath with running but I kept my sword at my side and my body steady.

The boys turned around, surprised for a moment at my presence. The one they were holding was blonde and red in the face, blood running from his nose and onto his ice skin. His day clothes were dirty and so were the two burlier, black haired boys'.

Shock spilled across the blonde's face and relief for a moment of my diversion.

The burly boys smirked and advanced, keeping the blonde in a death grip but moving towards me. I immediately gripped my sword tighter.

"Let him go." I said, my eyes fierce.

"Well look at what we have here, Matthew. Draco's got a little knight in shining armor to protect him. Didn't know you were a gay one, Malfoy." One of the boys said, taunting. He spit to the side and looked at me grotesquely.

'Draco' as they called him looked slightly embarrassed but still tried to keep out of their grip.

"Get of'r me." He choked out.

"Leave him alone please."

"We're playing hide and seek why don't you leave us alone." The second one said, angry obviously debating whether to dunk Draco, or me. Or both.

"But he's hurt!" I said, my eyebrows pulling together, watching the red from Draco's nose spill. These boys were so mean.

"What are you, his mother?" The 'leader' said, angry and ready to strike.

"She's a girl, mate. Leave her alone just get it over with." Draco muttered, his grey eyes worried that they'd attack me too.

"I hear a sore loser, Charlie!" Matthew said grinning, triumphant.

Charlie just smirked at me and the boys turned around and began dragging him again, Draco looked back with fear in his eyes mouthing for me to do something.

He began to kick again and while the two boys' backs were turned I immediately ran towards them, crying out in a little-girl-war-cry and hit the backs of their heads with my wooden sword.

"OW! OH MY GOD!" Charlie and Matthew cried and Charlie threw Malfoy to the floor and turned around. His pug like features twisted in a mask of pain, shouting profanities. At his momentary pain I looked over to Malfoy quickly and he shot up and him and I began to run in the forest.

I took his hand and led him through a way I knew, in the dimmer part so we'd be harder to see. Low branches and bushes attacked my ankles and ripped my stockings further, I used my sword to push leaves out of the way.

"Thanks." Draco muttered, looking at me from the side, he was already much taller than me although I could sense we were around the same age. He was tall and lanky with pale features, they were stressed and red from running. I just nodded at him and we could hear the other two boys' voices behind us. We tried to run faster.

"Bloody fuckers! Come on Matthew!" Charlie screamed. They were chasing after us, the leaves behind us thrashing wildly and loudly.

"Do you know a way out?" Draco said, out of breath. Looking around frantically, the forest was getting dimmer and dimmer, the trees providing more shade.

I also looked around nervous, I knew my way around the forest but I was so frazzled at the moment! I just settled for trying to get out of the forest and into my meadow back to my house.

"This way." I said lowly and gripped Draco's hand tighter, bounding behind the trees, I looked back at him and faced front and he grabbed me before I could hit my face in a thick low branch. Draco immediately got hit and fell forward, tripping.

I tripped over him and I couldn't help laughing. Draco looked so confused and he laughed with me, both of us on the ground of the forest covered with thick earth. I kept him down so we wouldn't be seen. I saw a bump forming on the side of his forehead.

"Are you alright?" I said giggling.

He chuckled, "yeah. We're going to get caught, come on"

As he gripped my hand again, I looked around and both Draco and I's laughter came to an abrupt halt. Matthew and Charlie were standing above us, grinning with nostrils flared. Draco and I knew we were done for.

"Shit." We spat in unison and Charlie and Matthew picked us up roughly and dragged us towards the stream once more.

* * *

"And that'll teach you for being a damn pansy running away from us." Charlie said, grinning from ear to ear as his ripped off all of Draco's sopping wet clothes from him leaving him only in his drawers.

Draco looked beet red at that point, shivering furiously, his pale skin offering him little warmth, and Matthew threw Draco's clothes high into the treetops away from reach.

We were by the stream and Charlie and Matthew dunked Malfoy repeatedly and furiously in the cold stream five or six times. They threw me in the water, threatening me if I tried to get out. The water went up to my waist and the cold bit at my legs, my dress floating around me my hands ice cold and numb from gripping my sword and the cold frosting them.

The boys threw Malfoy's shivering body to the ground and beckoned that I come out of the water. I slowly stepped in the stream, I tripped over a rock and stumbled, my knee scraping. I finally tripped my way out of the horribly cold water and out of breath I sat down. Charlie immediately picked and stood me straight and held me at my shoulders.

He smirked, "Brave of you, that little trick of yours."

"Real Brave." Matthew muttered with arms crossed.

"But I can't let little girls win, so, I think I'll be taking this."

"No!" I cried, gripping my sword but Charlie yanked it out of my hands, too strong for my small frame, and surveyed it, testing the handle. My eyes began to water as he held my toy sword my father gave me, eyeing it maliciously.

Draco got up at once and tried to retrieve it but Matthew held him down, Draco was thrashing furious, "You bloody git, get off me! Just leave her alone! Give it back to her!"

Charlie looked at me calmly. Water was leaking out of my eyes. Matthew nodded at him and with one last look at my sword Charlie broke it in half with his hands and threw it in the stream spitting on it as it went.

My knees buckled and Draco punched Matthew. Matthew just took it and pushed Draco back with ease, and him and Charlie exited into the trees, cackling with laughter.

"See you later, girls." Charlie said turning and looked at me, evil glinting from his eyes. They disappeared in the forest.

Draco looked at me quickly and apologetically but before I could say anything he jumped back into the cold water, no clothes but his drawers on, and went to grab the broken halves of my sword.

Draco walked me home with no clothes on. I insisted he just go home but he stayed by my side. We walked through the trees; we walked the whole meadow. The blades brushed at our sides softly, almost apologizing for the cold of the stream and drying Draco and myself. He had given me back the halves of my sword and apologized furiously the whole way home. He told me the boys were some of his playmates that lived in the surrounding lands. They were just out playing their own twisted kind of hide and go seek. I grimaced, _they were neighbors…._

We finally caught sight of the large manor, and the gazebo. At the edge of my sanctuary I turned to Draco.

"Do you want to come inside?"

"My mother will be worried enough…" He said looking back towards where we'd come, I could sense he was a little frightened of going back, his eyebrows knit together.

"Are you sure? I can ask my father to take you home."

He turned back to me and looked down, he caught a small flower in my hair and gave it to me, "Oh I forgot to ask, what's your name?"

"Julia." I responded, smiling at the small living thing.

He smiled too, his childlike and pale face finally lifting from the stupor of the afternoon events.

I walked towards my house from the meadow with him, my hair and ribbon in disarray, with brambles in it, my stockings ripped and bloody, my dress wet and muddied.  
He crossed his arms over his chest, still looking foolish with just his drawers on and his scrawny snow- white legs, smiling at the state of things.


	2. Chapter 2

**Jennifer's note: **Hi! I hope you liked the first chapter! Thank you for reading!

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** Chapter Two  
**

"Julia, oh good god what happened!" My mother shrieked as me and Draco stepped into the sparkling clean kitchen. She was at the table doing a crossword, tapping her pencil rapidly as if waiting for me to come home.

I glanced sideways at Draco, he looked absolutely chagrined, his face red a million times over. He just looked down at his soaked shoes.

My mother, bug-eyed, rushed over to us using her wand to get us towels, to run the tap with warm water, and pull the chairs out from the large table out all at once.

"Charles! Come have a look at Julia! She's hurt!" My mother took Draco and I by the hand and sat us down.

"What's your name sweetheart?" Mom said as she touched Draco's nose gingerly and cleaned it with a damp towel and healing the wound with her wand.

"Draco Malfoy. Thanks. " Draco muttered, clasping and unclasping his hands, trying to fold his arms over his chest. My mother smiled at him and put the towel down. Draco looked almost good as new.

"You need clothes…" My mother murmured.

"Julia what in god's name-" My father came into the kitchen from upstairs, taking off his glasses.

He immediately knelt in front of Draco and I pulling out his wand and healing our scrapes. He frantically swished his wand and made lemonade appear in front of us.

"Drink children, you look parched. Where did you go Julia, you worried your mother and I to death. I checked at the gazebo and you were gone." My father was stern by the end.

I took a sip of lemonade, holding the glass with both hands. "Sorry father, I went to help Draco, he was stuck in the woods…" I said haphazardly. I realized that probably wasn't the best alibi.

"You went in the woods by yourself again?" My father said, disapprovingly. He stood and crossed his arms, "well thank goodness you helped this boy, he looks a fright!"

Father chuckled and muttered, "accio pants, shirt."

Draco looked positively mortified. "Julia saved me."

My father smiled, "Lucky you are son! However, Julia- no more playing in the woods."

I pouted, amending to myself that I probably could if I had someone with me. I looked at Draco quickly, I possibly had a new playmate.

My mother smiled, "here darling, put these on. Malfoy…Hm… You aren't Lucius' son are you?"

Draco stood and pulled the khakis on over his pale legs, my father had sat down and I sat on his lap. He was so worried about me. He ruffled my hair.

My mother just surveyed Draco, Draco responded "yes, we live just beyond the forest."

"Your parents have come to some of our parties, you remember them don't you Charles? Lucius and Narcissa?"

"Ah yes, I see Lucius at work sometimes." My father said, smiling.

"You look just like Lucius!" My mother chuckled, offering Draco a glass of lemonade.

"Thank you." Draco smiled.

"How do you know my father?" Draco asked, after he took a sip of lemonade.

"Ah, well I'm head of Auror headquarters, I'm supposed to know everyone." My father said jokingly, his lips turning up at the corners and I just looked at him, admiringly. My father was my hero.

Draco's smile turned down a little. It didn't escape my notice.

"Oh. I see."

I plopped down back on the ground, "father can we take Draco home?"

"Of course sweetheart, we can take the fireplace."

I turned to Draco, "wanna come over tomorrow to play?"

Draco smiled, "yes, that sounds excellent." His eyes shone with genuine happiness.

My mother and father smiled, leading us to the large fireplace in the next room.

"Thanks for my sword." I said to Draco quietly.

He just nodded, "anytime."

* * *

"What's your favorite color?" Draco asked.

"Blue."

"Girls don't like blue!" He scoffed.

Draco and I were laying in the meadow looking up at clouds in the sky. It was a few weeks later from our first encounter. He came over nearly everyday to come play. He had told his parents about Matthew and Charlie, and Draco and I had a riot watching Lucius scold the boys giving both painful whacks in the head with his wand. Narcissa was overjoyed that Draco had me to play with because we were both only children and there were few children in the surrounding lands.

"Well, I like it. What's yours?"

"Green. Like Slytherin." He said matter-of-factly, with a smug smile on his face.

I turned to face him, head propped up on my arm.

"My mother and father were in Gryffindor." I said proudly. Draco was talking about the wizarding school Hogwarts that him and I would attend, in the very distant future.

"Really? Both of mine were in Slytherin. It's the best house."

I ruffled his hair, "is not!"

"Is too." He stuck out his tongue, laughing.

"I don't really care about which house I'm in. "

Draco's eyebrows pulled together, "my father has stories about Slytherin. I want to be in it."

"You probably will be then." I said confidently.

He just smiled back at me, "you should be in it too if you don't care."

"Then we could play everyday!" I said laughing.

He nodded excitedly, "yup. It'll be great. We'd never be separated."

"Promise you'll be in Slytherin?" He said, getting up and crossing his legs. He was smiling so big, looking at me.

I laughed, "of course!" I was overjoyed at the thought of having my new friend with me at school.

We shook hands and he ruffled my hair and we both laid back down looking for shapes in the clouds.

"That one looks like dung."

"Ew, Draco." I said laughing.

Draco and I spent near everyday of the summer this way. We'd come over to each other's houses in the morning and spend the entire day together, until past dusk to bedtime when our parents would force us to come home and we'd sulk and plead for just one more hour. We never got tired of exploring the garden, or challenging each other to wizarding games. We only found more to do and more to talk about. We had become each other's best friend.


	3. Chapter 3

** Chapter Three**

I distinctly remembered December 24th. It was two years later and Draco and I had turned nine that summer. It was a pivotal day. Draco grew more and more every day. He was far from manhood but there were distinct changes in him, for one thing he started slicking his hair back much to my objection.

"Grrrr. Draco. What is this hair-mud you put in there." I made a face. I was trying to ruffle his hair.

"Off Jules!" He playfully shoved away my hands, pretending to primp his hair.

"You are such a girl, Malfoy." I smiled.

He only batted his eyelashes, "a pretty girl."

"Prettier than me." I pouted jokingly.

"Definitely." He grinned, throwing snow in my hair.

"Eurgh! Draco!"

He chased me about the garden outside of his house. Snow blanketed the entire countryside, hiding all the trees. The snow was a magnificent sight. Each powdered crystal was perfectly nestled in bunches on the earth. Draco and me blazed right through the perfect blanket that it was, leaving clumsy footprints, roaring with laughter as Draco would come close to catching me and then I'd dodge him and he'd fall down sending snow everywhere.

"Ha ha ha ha!" He chuckled, dusting off the snow.

"Nope!" I came up behind him and dumped an arm full of cold snow on his hair.

"Argh! Jules!" I ran and he whipped around quickly grabbing my legs and pulling me down.

"Gotcha!"

"Draco!" I was giggling furiously he kept piling more and more snow on me.

"That's what you get!" He was laughing, he allowed me to get up. I spat out snow.

"Ewwwww."

"It's just ice, Jules."

I spat snow at his forehead.

"Yuck!"

"It's just ice, Draco." I mimicked laughing.

"That's it." A childish grin formed on his face.

He caught me and pulled me on his back, "no! Draco! Put me down!"

"Nope, not a chance." He snickered wickedly.

He ran fast, I was holding onto his damp coat shoulders for dear life, my head bobbing up and down. "Put me down Draco!"

He laughed the whole way spinning about running around in the snow dodging leafless trees as he went.

"You can't stop me!"

I chuckled, looking about, my head spinning madly. The trees were bare, their spindly arms reaching out for the sky, most of them looked like they were dying under the snow's weight and cold touch.

And then I spotted it. Amongst the dying bare trees, there was one tall peach tree. At the very top were a few leaves on their last edge and were two peaches, ripe as day. How odd that they were still there.

"Draco! Oh look!"

Draco looked up at the tree and I looked with him, "peaches!" He exclaimed.

He looked at me excitedly and put me down gingerly on the snow. My boots crunched with the snow beneath them.

"I wish we could climb up and get them!" I said shading my eyes from the sunlight as I looked above. Draco went up to the tree and tried shaking the trunk and a weak looking branch, testing it.

He frowned, "the branch is too flimsy to climb, Jules."

He watched me pout, looking sadly at the wasted peaches. "Alright, then. Let's go back." I tapped Draco to let me climb back onto his back but he shook his head.

He was looking at the peaches intently, eyebrows knit together.

"Draco let's-"

"Sshh Jules." He said softly, eyes wide at the tempting peaches.

Suddenly the peaches dropped down from their highest spot in the trees and into his hands.

I looked at him in awe, he turned to look at me a huge grin on his face holding the plump peaches in his hand.

I shook my head, "Draco, how did you do that?"

He looked astounded, flabbergasted and shook his head. "I don't know…I know you really wanted them, so I… I wanted them too…"

He trailed off, still amazed. He scratched his platinum blonde head and he shook a little from the cold. I looked at the peaches, they seemed unreal to me.

_Unreal…_

I mused to myself for a moment, "Draco, I think you did magic."

His eyes shot to my face, and I could hear the events making sense in his head.

"Magic…" He mused as well. He turned the peaches over in his hand, deliberating…

"Bloody hell Julia! I did magic!" He grinned shoving the peaches in his pocket and picking me up and swinging my frail body around in circles. I laughed with him, his cheeks were red, he was so excited.

"I can do magic! I can do magic!" He chanted over and over.

"Yaay!" I cheered with him, happy that he was elated. We danced and skipped in the snow. He stopped at once plopping down in the powder, he pulled me with him. He breathed on both the peaches and scrubbed at them with his coat. He offered me the larger one. I smiled, "thank you sir."

"Of course lady." He grinned.

And he then bit hungrily into his.

He sighed. "Dwis is dewicious." Peach juice ran down the corners of his mouth.

I looked at mine for a moment. This peach was magical. Everything about it was unnatural, it was ripe in the middle of winter, they were beautiful and delicious, and they had come right when Draco and I were playing and probably hungry. It was surreal.

Ever since I met Draco all he ever wanted was the ability to do magic. He had told me numerous stories of the magic his parents could do and how proud his father would be of him if he could do magic half as well as him when he grew up.

Draco came from a pureblood family that was very magically oriented. For myself, magic had always been a part of my life but never ingrained in my head such as Draco's. I came from a pureblood family as well but my mother said she'd never be ashamed of me if being a witch were not my true destiny. Our family was very oddly content, my parents being very intelligent and kind and well off, we had everything we needed. Magic was just a beautiful addition to our lives that made it easier every now and then. But my father always told me we didn't need magic to be good people or that it made us any more talented than any average muggle.

Still, I couldn't help reveling in Draco's happiness that he could do magic, and I hoped that one day soon I could do it too.

"…my father's going to go nuts when he hears Julia! I can't wait to tell him, hopefully this magic thing doesn't go away…"

I only caught the last of Draco's words. I looked at him he was almost done with his peach. I smiled at his insecurity.

"Aren't you going to eat it Jules?" Draco said, perturbed. He threw his peach pit into the trees.

"I'll save it for later." I said smiling at him, "we should tell your dad!"

Draco grinned and put a hand out to help me up. I took it and as I did I put the magical peach in the pocket of my coat.

"Draco! Julia!" We could hear a woman's voice off in the distance. Draco and I turned around and we saw his mother Narcissa waving frantically from outside of their home.

Draco took my hand and we skipped off to the house, huge smiles across our faces. As we got closer to the door I could see the perfect mouth of Narcissa's set in a frown.

"Draco! Look at you! All wet and snow in your hair! We have to get ready for the ball!"

"Oh no." I muttered and my heart sank, Draco looked down at me, leading me inside, his mother beckoning us into their large home.

"What's wrong?" Draco said, brushing his feet off at the eave.

"I forgot about the ball…"

Narcissa laughed shortly, "it's at your home Julia!"

I looked at Narcissa quickly, "oh I know. I had forgotten all about it. My mother and the servants have been preparing since eve…"

Narcissa smiled warmly at me. She looked a great deal like her son, both pale with the white blonde hair and absolutely intimidating. Although Draco had a boyish warmth about him, she was very tall and cold looking. But not towards me, Draco's parents were surprisingly very warm towards me despite what my father told me about them.

_"They're not very hospitable to some wizards and witches Julia darling…"My father mused some time ago._

_"I suppose my status at the ministry and our bloodline has something to do with their appeal…"_

Narcissa just smiled, "would you like me to set up the fireplace Julia? So that you can go get ready? I'm sure Draco will follow five minutes after…You two are joined at the hip!" She laughed, stroking her son's hair fondly, he slapped his mother's hand away.

"Come on mum stop…" He groaned getting red in the face, Narcissa and I smiled.

"We actually wanted to tell Lucius something!" I exclaimed, happiness pulling my mouth into a smile.

Draco also smiled, "where's father?" He looked out into the hallway towards his study.

"He's off doing something, I'm sure he'll be here in time for the ball." Narcissa said fixing something on Draco's collar.

Draco frowned slightly, "alright."

He turned to me, I had my coat folded over my arms and I was leaning against their huge table in the middle of their kitchen. The Malfoys' home was huge and spacious but it had a different kind of feel to it than my parents' home. My home was decorated in warm brown colors with comfy lavish furniture. The Malfoys' home was decorated with blacks ,and silvers with archaic looking furniture that looked uncomfortable but nonetheless handsome and wealthy.

Draco towed me away by the hand towards the fireplace. Narcissa went to go get floo powder.

"Don't tell anyone okay?" Draco said to me, I stood in front of the huge mantel with him. His home was decorated for the holidays and the fireplace was lit with flames, the warmth radiating off onto Draco and I.

I nodded, "I promise."

He smiled, "I'll come over in a few minutes."

"My house is a nightmare." I groaned.

He patted my head, grey eyes dancing, "we can just hide in your room and play wizard's chess all night or something." He compromised.

"Yes!" I said, happy again. He gave me his arm to help me into the roaring fireplace, I knew all too well that it wouldn't burn me. Narcissa was behind us the whole time smiling widely at the both of us for some reason. She handed me a handsome small chest of floo powder and I went on my way in a comfortable flash of warmth.

* * *

I sat at my small vanity, toying with the peach of Draco and I's snow filled afternoon. It was still such a mystery to me. I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled. I was still a child, still learning and growing, and happy. I was happy to be Draco's friend, I was happy about my life.

My mother had given me a lot of makeup to play with as a young girl and it was littered about my vanity. Sometimes I'd just play with it and put it on Draco (much to his objection,) but I never fancied makeup too much. I always just liked watching my mother put on her lipstick. My mother dressed me in an emerald dress that night that slightly puffed out and a new golden necklace my father bought me. My mother had a matching one. I looked simple and that was good enough for me.

I waited anxiously for Draco to arrive. It was almost thirty minutes later and I was already bored. I heard the bubble of people's conversations downstairs. There would be nearly four hundred people at my home that night. My parents even as humble as they were, were very elite and had constant lavish parties. They bored me, as children didn't often come. I waited even more impatiently for Draco.

"Julia, sweetheart." My father knocked on my door twice and came in. He was dressed in a handsome tuxedo with dress robes over it.

"Guests are arriving my darling, surely you want to come downstairs?" He looked at me inquiringly.

"Is Draco here yet?" I said, toying with the peach.

He smiled, and knelt down next to me looking at my new necklace and me. My father looked young and handsome. I studied his features. He often wore black rimmed glasses but he didn't tonight. He was very tall, had dirty blonde hair that he kept very neat, he looked like an English gentleman. His eyes were blue and very kind, they were the kind of eyes that loved his family and cared very much for people.

"What are you looking at darling?"

"You!"

He chuckled collecting me in his arms, I still fit like a little toy doll.

"You know I love you very much. You and your mother are the most beautiful young ladies at this party. In all of Wiltshire." He murmured and he held me out at arms length, his eyes gentle and very protective.

"I know." I hugged him tightly.

He stood and grinned at me, "Come down soon my love."

I nodded and he patted my arm and left my room.

I went to go to my closet to pull out wizard's chess. I internally cursed as it was on the top shelf, wedged between other games.

"Drats…" I groaned.

I tried to stand on my small vanity stool to reach the game, I knew it was useless.

"Why do I have to be such an elf…" I complained trying to raise my arms as far as they would go.

"Come on… Just a little more…"

Suddenly the game was in my hands and I stumbled back off my stool.

"Jules!" Draco was at the door in the knick of time and caught me before I fell on my back.

"Oof." I patted my dress down and Draco helped me up, "thanks." He nodded, smiling.

The game lay next to me and I looked at it, fixated. Draco looked at it too.

"You should have waited, I could have gotten it for you." He laughed, running a hand through his slicked platinum hair and looking at me.

I looked at him too and laughed.

"What?" My hair again?" He said trying to get to the vanity, he looked perturbed.

"No, no. You look nice." I said.

He grinned at me, "you too. I like your necklace." He touched it gently letting the gold slip through his hands.

Draco let go of it and picked up the game, setting it on my bed.

"How did you get it down?"

" I umm…."

Again, I was transfixed. And confused. It was like the afternoon all over again. I couldn't explain it. It just…happened.

"I don't know." I gave up and sat on the bed.

"Did you do magic too?!" Draco nearly yelled in excitement. His grey eyes looking at the closet and at me.

"I…I guess…"

He grinned immediately, "Julia! We can do magic! The two of us!"

I smiled, "Yes, the two of us." I liked that very much now. I was dazed.

He grinned and took my hand, "come let's tell our parents now!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Draco and I appeared at the top of the large spiral staircase. I gawked at the sight. My house was unrecognizable. A huge fifty foot Christmas tree decorated with white and gold ornaments and sparkling lights towered in the middle of where the staircase spiraled, enchanted snowflakes drifted slowly down on it from the vaulted ceiling. Shiny wrapped gifts covered every surrounding inch around it; they sparkled like jewels. The huge crystal chandelier over our dining room table that sat twenty was enchanted so icicles dripped from it and the light shone through it in a devastatingly beautiful way. The table was laden with so much food and décor that it looked like it would break under all its weight. All the chairs were removed. And another table was set near it that held hundreds of crystal plates and goblets. Snow that neither melted nor emitted its wet cold sprinkled on our marble floor. Elegantly dressed guests kept pouring through our huge wooden foyer doors and the ones in my house were chatting socially around the winter wonderland scene. Waiters bustled around frantically offering each guest goblets of wine and hor douvres.

"It's brilliant Julia!" Draco said turning to me. He was smiling widely, the warm and perfect scene from below and his happiness made me glow.

"Shall we?" He said, straightening his back offering me his arm, trying to sound adult-like.

I grinned, I took his arm and like the two silly children we were, we pranced down the stairs like the king and queens we thought we were.

Once at the bottom, everything seemed so much more…busy…

"Excuse me!" A waiter said frustratedly, trying to get through Draco and me, he was holding a huge tray of goblets.

"Sorry" I muttered, we jumped out of his way, almost bumping into a few socializing ladies next to the stairs.

People everywhere were talking and drinking and the sound of the music outside was enchanting. Draco and I were lost in the towering figures, I barely came past their waists.

"Let's find our parents!" I shouted at Draco, he nodded and tried to side lead me across the people to find them.

I found my father near the fireplace, surprisingly he was talking in a small circle of men and Lucius was in the ring as well.

"There they are." I said tugging at Draco's sleeve, pointing towards the huge fireplace.

Draco nodded and towed me towards that direction. We finally got out of the maze and jumble of people and we caught the last of my father's speech, all the men were holding goblets in mid air.

"…to success, safety, and happiness!" He cried and they drank politely but happily.

"Father!" I said smiling, running into the circle. Draco stood nervously behind.

"Ah! Julia finally!" My father put his goblet on the mantle and scooped me up into his arms, hugged me and put me gently down.

"You remember the minister my darling?" He said rubbing my back, gesturing to a handsomely dressed pudgy looking, but important wizard.

I curtsied, "Good evening!"

The minister smiled greatly, the large folds his cheeks looked like they were about to burst.

"You're growing so beautifully Julia." He remarked.

My father introduced me to a few more important looking men around the circle, I barely caught their names, it was so hot near the fire. Lucius smiled at me, "what have you been up to children?"

He almost looked sternly at Draco, and I looked puzzled and spoke when Draco kept silent. Father was already in mid conversation with the minister when I said, "something wonderful has happened!"

"What Jules?" Father said happily, toying with a few of my curls.

"Draco and I think we can do magic!"

The small ring of men almost audibly gasped with surprise on their faces, Lucius however looked smug and proud of his son and his embarrassed stupor lifted. He clapped Draco on the back, "about time son."

Draco grinned and my father raised his goblet again, "to our children! The future of extraordinary magic!" he cried.

The men drank to it and my father smiled, he lifted me and kissed me on the cheek, "how proud I am of you. You must tell me the whole story later!" He murmured.

"Thank you, father."

He set me down, "you should tell your mother, she'll be quite pleased."

"Run along with Julia, Draco." His father said dismissively after the toasts were done.

Draco just looked embarrassed and nodded.

I smiled at my father and bid farewell to the wizards and I took Draco's hand to lead him outside where I thought my mother was.

"That was exciting wasn't it?" I said breathlessly when we got into the kitchen and only a few guests were in there talking amongst themselves. The chefs were cooking and bustling about frantically and preparing more food.

"Yeah." He mumbled, looking glum.

I looked puzzled again, "what's wrong?"

He toyed with his gold cuff links, getting red.

"I don't know." He gave up.

"Do you want to go outside?" I said. I was concerned about Draco. Why was he sad?

"Sure."

I opened the large doors that lead outside. We were immediately greeted with unnatural warm air in a middle of a winter's cold night, and the stream of people's conversations, and to my delight, a band was playing. Instead of our normal furniture placed about our flowered garden mother had put a large dance floor that looked like a large iced over pond in the middle. I stepped gingerly onto the dance floor, to my amazement it didn't even feel cold. Instead warm air rose from it and it wasn't slippery, it was hard as wood.

There was barely any room on the large rink, Draco and I found a place closer to the back corner where few people were. Enchanted candles floated everywhere.

He held out his hand, "a dance?"

It was in the middle of a slow ballad, it was beautiful. I grinned, curtsied, and took his hand. He bowed before hesitatingly placing his hand on my small waist. We had never danced together before and we were very…awkward? We were oblivious.

"What do we do?" He said out of the corner of his mouth, I tried to move closer, I almost tripped over my skirt and we both broke out in furious giggles. Couples around us were enjoying a romantic moment but Draco and I could barely stand straight.

"Wait-I think- No you-" I tried to say in between giggling, Draco had both of my hands, we were standing at a weird angle twisting our feet around. We looked ridiculous but we were both laughing, not dancing slowly to the beat at all.

He tried to raise my arm overhead and twirl me but I just tripped again and our arms were twisted painfully.

"Ow ow, okay let go." Draco said and I had to laugh.

We settled for a comfortable swing of both of arms and moving our feet slightly.

"We're never going to get this right." I sighed, laughing comfortably.

"Nope." He smiled, his sadness from earlier gone.

The party was bearable with Draco there, I thought delightedly. The night was beautiful. The stars twinkled overhead and the air was crisp and comfortable.

There was no place I'd rather be.

* * *

Draco and I were dancing to another fast song, tossing our heads about and laughing manically when I remember she came.

"Hi." She said brightly, almost boasting her presence. Draco and I turned our heads and a blonde girl a little taller than me was standing there. She was wearing an intricate and flamboyant gold dress, held a small gold beaded purse and was wearing too much makeup for a child her age.

"Hello." Draco and I said in unison, our dance had just drifted to a movement of feet as she burst our little happy bubble.

I didn't like this girl's presence for some reason.

"I saw you talking to the minister and senior auror Blaire a while ago." She drawled matter-of-factly to me, almost accusing me.

_What did this strange girl want? Why was she spying on me?_ She was running her tongue over her teeth, as if checking for lipstick. Draco furrowed his eyebrows.

"You must be Draco Malfoy." She smiled widely at him, a little too widely.

He nodded curtly, surprised she knew him.

"I however, do not know you." She said bluntly to me.

"I don't know you either, what's your name?" I said kindly, trying hard not to feel any ill will towards this ridiculous girl.

"I'm Charlotte Furlough, daughter of the second secretary to the minister." She looked very smug with herself.

"Oh, I'm Julia, and well, you know Draco." I said lamely. Draco looked bored next to me, trying to find my hand so we could dance again.

"We were in the middle of something-" He smirked, not trying to make nice with her at all.

"Oh right, I'm sorry." Charlotte said, covering her mouth and giggled once.

Draco and I looked at each other quickly, the words "_who is this girl_" spilled across our faces.

Before we turned to start dancing again Charlotte sighed looking around, "a beautiful manor this is. Charles and his wife must have paid a fortune!"

She talked of my mother and father like she knew them, "do you know them well?" I said curious. _Maybe she was a distant cousin of a cousin or something…_

"Charles and Marceline invite me here all the time!" Charlotte mused, gesturing around like she owned the place.

Draco looked absolutely confused and I just shook my head, "Oh…I've never seen you before."

"Well I've never seen you here, either. Do you even know who owns this house? Who are you parents, I've never even heard of you." Charlotte snapped and laughed coldly, raising her eyebrows.

"You have to be really thick to say that to Mr. And Mrs. Blaire's daughter." Draco snapped at Charlotte. Draco stood in front of me defensively; he had had enough of this obnoxious girl. Charlotte looked taken aback and embarrassed.

"So, you can go now." Draco said dismissively.

Charlotte just nodded, dazed and stood there. Draco dragged me off to a new spot so we could dance.

"Sorry about that." Draco murmured soothingly.

I shook my head, "it's alright."

I thought to myself how one child could be so boisterous! There were times when Draco boasted of his parents, but it was always in moderation. We were always equals, he and I. There wasn't a time I could think that Draco thought he was better than me or implied that I was unimportant, like that vile Charlotte. I've never seen her around…

Draco struggled to dance enthusiastically and tried to wave his ams around, but he could tell something was on my mind.

"Wanna go inside and snatch a butterbeer or something?" Draco said deviously, smiling big to lift my mood.

I nodded and Draco and I walked through all the dancing couples into the warm and brightly lit kitchen. The kitchen smelled of freshly roasted chicken and herbs and the scent swirled around my face. I noticed my mother sitting at the kitchen table in conversation with a man older than my father, both had glasses of wine in front of them and gestured as they spoke.

"…oh I had never heard of that." My mother was giggling, and then she caught sight of Draco and I.

She stood gracefully and smiled, "darlings! I have been looking everywhere for you, Julia!"

I smiled at my mother. Tonight she wore a sweeping white gown with the same necklace as me and she wore large diamond earrings my father gave her for Christmas. Her caramel colored hair was up tonight. She looked like an actress straight out of an old film.

"Draco and I were outside."

"Marceline you must introduce me to your lovely daughter!" The man in the chair said. I frowned internally. The man was slightly balding, his nose was crooked and his face was pallid and thin with a thick mustache. He looked like a horse.

"Julia, this is Albert Furlough. He works at the ministry."

Draco and I exchanged quick looks of foreboding and I gingerly shook the man's thin sweaty hand.

"Good evening." I choked out.

"Good evening." He had an intimidating and cold voice, his teeth were yellow when he smiled.

My mother smiled at the both of us and announced cheerfully, "now that Julia and Draco are here we can go find Charles. He's been waiting all night to light the tree."

"Have you seen Charlotte? Surely she'll want to see…" Albert mused.

Draco and I followed my mother and the oaf Albert, we mimed gagging behind their backs.

_How could my mother enjoy conversation with this unappealing man?_

When we entered the large living room, there was barely any room to squeeze through. Everyone was surrounding the tree; my father was at the base of the tree with his wand in his hands waiting expectantly towards our direction.

"Ah! Julia! Marceline!" The guests clapped at our arrival. Draco walked red-faced next to me and I smiled timidly at all the staring guests.

We walked through the throng and at the small space where my father was standing, facing the guests. Albert stood towards the left watching us smiling like an entranced dog. Draco went to stand with him but I kept him by my side.

"Thank you, thank you." My father said loudly and kindly, gesturing for everyone to be quiet.

My mother took my father's arm and gazed up at him admiringly and I stood awkwardly by their sides. I realized my face was getting hot; everyone was looking at us.

"My family and I would like to thank you all for coming tonight and gracing us with your wonderful presence. We surely thank the heavens for giving us such supporting and hospitable friends!"

My father beamed and ruffled my hair and looked at me. "Happy Christmas!" He shouted and everyone suddenly had filled goblets of warm cider and chanted "Happy Christmas!" back. Suddenly the top of the massive tree was lit with a single golden star.

Everyone drank and clapped and my father just picked me up and smiled, "Happy Christmas dad." I said, smiling.

After a few minutes of cheering and hugging and exchanging "happy Christmas" to each other, the guests broke up amongst themselves and went back to their polite conversations. Although, everyone was getting visibly more rowdy as the drinks were starting to settle in.

I saw Draco talking with his mother when he spotted me and walked towards me. We walked to a fireplace in one of the sitting rooms across from the library. The room was small and warm and we both sat on the rug in front of the fireplace.

We faced eachother. "Happy Christmas, Julia." Draco said, his grey eyes warm.

"Happy Christmas, Draco."

He reached in his pocket and pulled out a small box. I could tell it was hastily wrapped and creased, as if it had been re-wrapped several times.

He held it out to me and I took it out. "I didn't really know what to get you…" Draco said, abashed.

I carefully took it and smiled hugely. He waited in anticipation.

"Draco, it's…"

"Pathetic." He mumbled.

I touched his arm, "it's perfect."

In my small hands was an enchanted music box; the tune it played reminded me of the small flowers swaying in the wind on the day we met. Inside the box was a small necklace. It was silver with a white daisy dangling from it. It was beautiful.

I instantly hugged Draco tightly. He hugged me back, "the flower reminded me of you." He said simply.

I grinned, pulling back and kissed his cheek.

"Eurgh Jules! Lady germs!" Draco said grimacing jokingly. He pretended to wipe his cheek and I pushed him playfully.

We laid on the rug while I toyed with my new box and necklace. The warmth radiating from the fireplace lulled me into oblivion…

* * *

"Jules…Jules…"

I stirred awake. I was suddenly in one of the armchairs In front of the fireplace with a heavy blanket over me. Draco was standing above me and I sleepily rubbed my eyes.

"Whaat?"

"Everyone is leaving." Draco said. He looked wide-awake, I was embarrassed and wondered if he had been awake the whole time. He didn't look irritated or impatient…

"Oh." I jumped up and put the blanket on the chair. Draco and I walked over to the foyer. My parents were bidding farewell to an important looking couple.

I surveyed around my house. Most of the guests had already left except a handful. There were empty goblets and crystal plates everywhere. The waiters were cleaning frantically.

"Here she is Marceline."

I turned around. The ugly oaf Albert Furlough was down to the bone on a turkey leg. He was sitting in one of our chairs; I grimaced as I saw the little blonde troll Charlotte next to him.

Why is he still here…I grumbled internally.

"Julia, Draco." My mother patted us on the back and my father followed behind her. He sat tiredly in an armchair and my mother went to go get him a goblet of water.

I saw Draco eying Charlotte warily from the corner of the dining room. Charlotte glanced at him and he just smirked.

My mother came back and saw Charlotte was looking at me and she touched my shoulder at once, "sweetheart I haven't yet introduced you to Albert's charming daughter, Charlotte."

Charlotte stood up smiling at my mother and turned to me. She had a wide plastic smile on her face. I, however, was not fooled.

"We met." I said curtly.

My mother clapped her hands together, "Really? Oh good! I actually had good news! Draco and you will have a new playmate! Charlotte and her father are moving to Wiltshire in the upcoming weeks!"

"That's…great." I finished lamely. I tried to smile as best I could. Internally I was screaming profanities.

"We're going to be the best of friends Jules!" Charlotte said brightly and touched my arm. I winced at her touch and nickname…only people I liked could call me that.

"You see honey? You'll be the best of friends!" My mother hugged me quickly and went to sit with my father.

I looked quickly at Draco and he mimicked shooting himself in the head.

Charlotte bounced off to say something to Draco. "And, you… We'll be friends too."

"Right." Draco said shortly. His arms were crossed and he was frowning. He didn't look like he wanted to be friends at all. His loyalty made me smile.

The next thing Charlotte did sent a mix of emotions through me. First it was anger towards Charlotte. And then I was surprised… then I was sad…. My nine-year-old brain couldn't fathom it.

Charlotte leaned in close to Draco, his face was stern and expressionless, and oblivious.

She looked above and whispered, "mistletoe" and kissed his pale lips.


	5. Chapter 5

**Jennifer's note**: I hope you like this one : ) I've come to find I reaaaaaally like messages! And I got a review! Woah! So feel free to show some love or criticize :DD

* * *

**Chapter Five**

"It wasn't anything, Jules. The girl is mad." It was a week later after the Christmas debacle and it was the first time I got to talk to Draco. My parents and I went on a holiday trip to France to visit my grandmother and grandfather.

Draco had sent an owl as soon as I was home and invited me over. We were out in his garden. His father put a swing on one of the large oak trees a year back so we could swing on it. Draco was pushing me and trying to talk to me. I stayed uncharacteristically silent.

"We don't have to talk to her. She's vile. I don't care what our parents say…" Draco kept pushing me, waiting for a response.

"Jules?"

When I came back down he caught my swing and twisted it around so I had to look at him.

"You haven't said anything this whole time." Draco looked worried.

I just shrugged.

He let me go gently and pushed me softly.

"You're my best friend. And…that's not going to change." He said. I smiled at his simple words.

* * *

Charlotte moved in a month later. That whole day was a stressful one. Draco hadn't come over yet and I was eating my breakfast when my mother told me Albert Furlough and the daft ice princess herself were going to join us for dinner that night.

I struggled to keep my breakfast down.

A few hours after my mother made me go into town with her to buy the Furloughs a housewarming gift. My mother was in an antique store when I spotted a small toyshop across the avenue. In the window I saw charmed garden snakes. I snickered internally and walked across quickly to have a look.

* * *

"Ugh, you win again. Damn you, Julia." Draco cursed quietly as the queen on my board chopped the head off of his king.

I smiled greatly and laid on the floor, head propped on my arm. I started to set up the chessboard again.

"So I was thinking-" Draco started but was cut off by 2 sharp raps on my bedroom door.

Before I could open it Charlotte came bounding in. Draco and I looked at each other wide eyed.

"Hi guys!" She said brightly. She walked in and completely stepped on the chessboard, sending pieces flying everywhere.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that!" She giggled and plopped down on the ground next to me.

She gave me a rib-cracking hug that was not pleasant at all. " I missed you!" She squealed.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw her winking at Draco. I wanted to punch her. I hugged her back very very tightly, hoping she couldn't breathe.

She let go with ease and I groaned. Why was I so small.? I couldn't hope to cause any damage on this ogre child with my small frame. She patted my arm, "I didn't know you missed me that much!"

"Do you want to play chess?" I said stiffly. Draco tried to shift closer to me.

"Chess?" She lifted up one piece and her small blue eyes scrutinized it, bored. She rolled her eyes and got up. She started investigating my room. She picked up my toys, tested my bed, ran her fingers through my clothes, and looked at the makeup on my vanity. Before she could get to my jewelry drawer I got up too and said, "we can play outside."

She raised her eyebrows, "fine." She didn't wait for us to follow she just exited. Draco took my shoulder and squeezed it, "sweet revenge." He snickered.

* * *

Charlotte was not only a rude, boastful, flirty halfwit- she was also bossy. Whenever she'd go through a door she'd make Draco open it. Whenever she was thirsty she made me go get her water. When we went outside she made Draco give her his jacket so she could wipe a speck of dirt off her skirt. When we played cops and robbers she'd always make me and Draco surrender or she'd throw a fit. She was hopelessly exhausting and we had given her more than enough leeway to show to us she wasn't a total troll. But in reality she only was and she was going down.

"Draco, tell the joke again! And Julia-fetch me a blanket."

It was close to sundown and Charlotte was lounging on the outside sofa while Draco was forced to tell his joke about the limping dragon for the hundredth time. The joke required him to actually limp around like a dragon, which made Charlotte howl in disgusting delight. I rolled my eyes and went inside to get her a blanket. Before I left I slyly looked at Draco and he nodded. Our plan was in motion.

We had figured Charlotte would probably never give Draco and I another minute to ourselves so long as she was here, so if I left them two alone (I shuddered at the thought) I could go plant the charmed snake while he entertained her. I quickly went to one of the sitting rooms where I stowed the box with the snake in it. I lifted it out. The snake only came alive and did what I wanted when I said because I bought it. It would not listen to Draco…or Charlotte. Or my parents. I smiled at the thought. The snake looked practically harmless. It was green and less than a foot long, but if I had learned anything about Charlotte then that was she's the squeamish type.

"You will obey only my voice and gestures. You will come alive when I ask my father how his day at work was" I murmured to the limp and still snake.

The snake didn't stir and I grinned, putting it in my pocket.

* * *

"Julia! Dinner will be ready in five." My mother popped her head out of the door.

Charlotte, Draco, and I were playing cards. Charlotte was still lounging on the sofa only half paying attention while Draco and I really played. Charlotte huffed a little and shoved her cards down, "this is so boring. Don't you two do anything fun?"

Draco rolled his eyes, "what do you want to do?"

Charlotte smiled at him, "do you mind getting me and Julia some lemonade?" Her tone of voice sounded like she had made that up. She wasn't thirsty this time…She wanted the two of us alone?

Draco looked at me but I was still looking at my cards. Draco just got up and sighed, "fine."

Once he was inside Charlotte snatched my cards out of my hands and put them down.

I looked up at her questioningly.

Charlotte was sitting with her legs one over the other. Her arms were folded. She

looked creepily like an adult. It was like I was the child and she was about to scold me.

"Can I ask you something?" Charlotte said slowly.

I just nodded, looking past her.

"Do you have a crush on Draco?"

"No." I said automatically.

Charlotte raised her eyebrows, "are you sure?"

"What is this about?" I spat. I was angry. My parents always thought that I had a crush on Draco because we played all the time together but the truth was that I didn't know. We were just friends at the time. I was nine years old. That was seriously the last thing on my mind. This girl was so trivial it was unbelievable.

Charlotte didn't answer she was just twirling one of her thin blonde strands of hair around her fingers.

"Why, do you?"

"No, but I think he likes me." Charlotte looked positively smug.

I almost laughed right then and there.

"Oh."

"I think I want to kiss him again tonight." Charlotte said excitedly, leaning close to me as if this was some kind of girl bonding session where I would cheer her on.

"Super." I replied dully. I really didn't want to hear any of this. I amended to myself that one day Draco and I would just look back at this and laugh. Laugh very, very hard.

"So, you don't mind right?"

Yes. I do mind. You're disgusting.

"Not at all."

"Dinner's ready girls!" My father came out into the garden smiling. Draco was a little bit ahead of him with the pitcher of lemonade and glasses. He mumbled a curse when he had already gone through all that trouble.

I got up and patted Draco on the cheek. The words "you're done for" spilled across my face. Charlotte got up slowly, trying to get Draco's attention and winked at him.

* * *

We ate dinner in the kitchen. My mother made my favorite pot roast that night and had set candles on the wooden table. My father sat at the head of the table, my mother sat on his right. I sat on my mother's left and Draco sat next to me. On my father's left was Albert and Charlotte was directly across from me.

Albert was serving portions and my mother and Charlotte were making conversation when I lifted the snake out of my pocket. Draco was looking down at his plate and saw it out of the corner of his eye. He smiled.

I tossed the snake underneath Charlotte's feet.

Once we all were served food my father raised his glass of wine, "to new friends!"

I raised my glass of lemonade and smirked at Charlotte. Charlotte wasn't looking at me, instead she was looking at Draco licking her lips as she drank.

Draco's face was red and he just looked down, toying with his napkin.

When it was quiet and the toasts were done, I looked at my father. The words were bliss to me.

"How was your day at work dad? Was it hard?"

My father was buttering his roll when he spoke "it was alright-"

"AHHHHH OH MY GOD!" Charlotte shrieked, jumping out of her chair. She was just about to take another drink from her glass when she dropped it on the ground, the glass shattering everywhere. She had pulled her chair back so fast that she sent her plate flying everywhere. The snake was curled around the leg of her chair. Her small eyes were popped open wide.

"What's wrong?!!" The parents yelled, getting up immediately.

Charlotte was already in the corner pointing at her chair. Her face was pale white. Draco and I just sat at the chair snickering quietly while everyone was up frantic and freaking out. I whispered "disappear" and the snake was gone. No one could hear through Charlotte's stream of yelled gibberish.

"It's a snake! IT's a SNAKE!" Charlotte repeated, refusing to sit down.

"Where? Where?!!" Albert had his napkin in his hand, swiping at every spot he could with it. He looked ridiculous.

My mother was just shaking her head confused. My father had his eyebrows furrowed; he had his wand out trying to look for it.

"I don't see any snake." My father said bending down looking for it under the table. Albert was on top of a chair.

"I swear I saw it." Charlotte said. Her lip was trembling. She looked ludicrous. Her hands were in her hair and she had lemonade spilled all over her front.

Draco and I sat calmly at the table. On the inside I was rolling around in laughter. I looked at him and he was biting his lip down to keep from laughing.

"There's no snake Charlotte." My father said calmly. He wiped his brow and shook his head, cleaning up the mess with his wand. My mother shook her head and sat down. She looked a little upset that our dinner was interrupted. Charlotte was just in the corner, peeking her head out and confused that the snake was not there. Her face was red. Albert got off of the chair.

We all just looked at her and she straightened out her skirt nervously.

"Oh. I thought I saw it."

Draco and I gave each other a high five under the table.

* * *

"Wait? What did she say?" Draco said in disbelief.

Charlotte and Albert left a few minutes ago. Charlotte really didn't want to leave but Albert said they still had a lot to do around the house. I specifically knew the premises of why Charlotte didn't want to leave…For one thing she hadn't made good on her word to kiss Draco…

"Yeah. I know. " I said giggling.

Draco and I were lying in the gazebo watching the night sky. The stars flickered above us.

"Wait…How did this come up?"

_I hadn't anticipated this question…_

"She asked me if I had a crush on you." I muttered unwillingly. I avoided Draco's eyes. This subject was so silly and awkward.

He laughed shortly, "really? What did you say?"

I stayed silent; I was the one that was embarrassed now.

Draco propped himself up on his arm and looked at me.

"Charlotte was the first girl that ever kissed me. It was…weird." He made a face. I didn't respond and I felt his gaze.

He stared at me, "I really wish she wasn't"

"What do you mean?" I finally spoke.

"I wish she wasn't, um, my first kiss." He stammered.

"Well, we're only nine. I think you have time to make up for that one." I said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, but she took me by surprise. What if another weird girl comes and surprises me again. Then I'd have two bad kisses."

I looked at him, he had his tongue in his cheek and he was deliberating.

He moved closer to me.

"I don't know, I've never had your problem before." I said, my breath in his face.

"Well, you haven't had your first kiss yet. You're lucky. Mine's ruined." Draco said, half smiling and half sodden.

My voice shook slightly, "What if mine gets ruined too?"

Draco looked at me. He held my gaze for a long moment and I stared back. He seemed at ease now.

"I promise it won't."

He said it with fervor. He lay back down next to me and closed his grey eyes. I let his words sink in and settled next to him and watched the sky.


	6. Chapter 6

**2 years later**

**Draco's POV**

"Nervous son?" My father appeared in the doorway and peered about my empty room. All my belongings were packed away in my trunk and I was sitting on my made bed. The day was finally here. We were minutes to apparating to King's Cross Station in London so I could board the train for Hogwarts. I could hear my mother's muffled sobs through my parent's bedroom._ So typical…._ I just wanted to get this part over with so I could join Julia on the train and get there. We had spent that whole week packing together and going to London to get our school necessities. She was just as nervous as I.

I nodded stiffly. My father sat next to me and clapped a hand on my shoulder and looked at me.

"Don't be. Remember our talk last night, Draco. You are the future of Hogwarts. I expect you to uphold our family tradition and name with pride. I will not be made a fool. And especially with Hogwarts taking its fall…What with Dumbledore as headmaster and the increasing muggleborns…And that wretch Harry Potter will be attending this year…" He grumbled, rambling on.

I only paid half attention and my father was waiting for me expectantly.

"Right. Of course." I feigned interest.

He looked at me critically. "And you remember what I said about Julia…"

I swallowed and looked at my hands. I had tried to keep that part of my father's speech out my head….trying to find some way around it…

_"I overlooked all this time you've spent with Julia, Draco, because you seem to enjoy her company and you were just a child, and it didn't endanger our reputation…however, this is your first year at school and I expect you to convene only with your house, which means Crabbe and Goyle's boys will be your closest companions. You're a man now Draco. You need to own up to it and be strong. There will be rewards later… For now we must abide by the plan."_

_My face twisted in pain. All my father ever instilled in me my whole life was this plan…My father's mania entangled with something dark and dangerous…And I was instrumental to that plan…_

_He had looked at me calmly and sternly. His piercing gaze only said one thing: disobey and I'll disown you._

"Who is to say she won't be in Slytherin…" I offered.

My father rolled his eyes and waved the air dismissively, "Marceline and Charles were both in Gryffindor, as was their entire bloodline. It is very, very unlikely Draco. And besides, you know just as well as I that her father is head auror and I can't have him in our business any longer."

"So I can't be friends with her at all?" I countered. It was like my world was different and everything I knew was wrong. For the past 5 years all I'd ever known was the happiness I felt when I was with Julia. Our friendship…Maybe something more if we would let it…I was so angry it was hard to breathe.

My father grasped my shoulder tightly and let out a sigh, "it's for the best."

It felt like all the wind was knocked out of me. How was this happening? I swallowed and looked down fighting my internal rage. I gripped my trunk, my knuckles were tight against my skin. I couldn't really see anything clearly at the moment so there was no point in lingering. I stood up abruptly.

"Let's just go." I muttered darkly. My father looked thoughtfully at me for another moment and just nodded. He walked out of my room to console my wailing mother.

* * *

**Julia's POV**

"Julia! Hurry we're going to be late!" My father called looking at me behind his shoulder.

My mother and father were ahead of me, navigating towards platform 9 and 3/4. There were wizards and people in business suits and normal muggles everywhere bustling about the train station hurrying to their destinations. I could barely keep up; I kept bumping into random strangers as I lugged my new owl's cage. I looked at it and smiled, Draco and I had similar looking owls and we jokingly called mine "Bird." I was frustrated later on to realize now it would only respond to Bird.

I bumped into my father. "Oof."

"Come Julia! Through the gate!" My father pointed to an old brick wall separating each real gate to the trains.

"But father it's a brick wall? I looked at it confused

"Walk through it and you'll see." My father said simply and smiling.

I shook my head, embracing myself for the cracking pain the brick wall looked like it would inflict.

I walked slowly, and surprisingly I felt a rush of wind instead of pain and I was in a different looking station. The train just beyond was scarlet red and suddenly there were children just like me everywhere holding owls, lugging huge trunks, and parents waving them off tearfully. I looked behind me and it was that same brick wall.

My father was behind and squeezed my shoulders, " just like magic huh?"

I grinned and looked up at him and I saw him smile sadly. I just started to realize now how I'd miss my father and my eyes welled up.

"Marceline! Charles!"

I was distracted for a moment and looked down at the sound of a familiar voice. I saw Albert and Charlotte walking from a distance over to us.

_Good God… Does she always have to show up in the middle of something?_

Charlotte looked ridiculous as usual. Time hadn't changed that fact. It had been a few months since she had come over to play. She was wearing shorts and a white low cut top. I raised my eyebrows considerably; she no longer resembled a pudgy troll. She seemed to have lost weight and dyed her hair to a strawberry blonde. She still wore too much makeup and her shorts were a little too short for anyone's liking.

"Julia." She nodded, looking at me critically. She didn't greet me with her usual annoying excitement; she just smiled timidly.

_Maybe she was nervous too…_

"Hi Charlotte." I decided I would be warm with her. There was no point in continuing being enemies when we were going off to the same school.

"Sit with me on the train?" She said.

_Oh…Right. Of course, she was still just as bossy._

"Fine." I muttered. She smiled widely. "Great! I'm going to go save us a compartment."

After hasty goodbyes and a hug from my mother to Charlotte, Charlotte bounded up into the train with her trunk and cat. Her father stood there and waved at her weakly, barely able to contain his sappy weeping. I stayed behind. I wanted to wait for Draco; he said he'd meet me here.

"Don't you think it's time to go now, honey?" My mother said looking down at me. I saw tears in her eyes as she patted my arm. She didn't want me to go any more than I did.

I looked around and I couldn't see Draco.

"I'm just going to wait for Draco for a minute." I said. My parents nodded and continued to converse with Albert. My mother played idly with my hair.

I went to go look for Draco. There were still a lot of parents on the platform but most of the children were in the train already. I saw a small family of three all with platinum blonde hair just a little ways down. I saw Draco's parents departing when he went to lift his trunk into the train.

I frowned,_ why hadn't he waited for me?_

"Draco! Draco!" I called. He didn't turn. He just kept lifting his stuff up.

I decided to go to him. I ran and tried to get through the maze of people. I muttered apologies when I bumped into a few kids and finally stumbled my way up the train steps.

"Draco!" I caught the sleeve of his shirt just as he was about to into the train. He looked at me a little surprised. He looked different today. I couldn't put my finger on it. He looked paler and more subdued…and colder.

"Oh, Julia." He said. It wasn't a greeting. He neither looked happy nor excited to see me. He looked around quickly. There wasn't anyone on the entryway of the train but us.

"Why didn't you wait for me?" I said. It was just odd that he didn't come to find me.

"Oh, well, my parents were over here I didn't see you." He said. He was still expressionless.

Something was wrong.

"Oh…Well, you're going to sit with me right? Let me just say goodbye to my parents." I looked quickly behind me; they were still where I left. I looked frantically at the clock it was 10:55.

"Yeah, I'll sit with you." He said, looking down at his feet.

"Okay…Draco what's wrong?" I looked at him. I was concerned. He wasn't looking at me, just toying with the handle of his trunk.

"Nothing." He muttered, his grey eyes still emotionless.

I couldn't think of a reason why he was acting this way with me. I decided to just talk to him later about it when we were alone together in a compartment.

"Okay. Well, let me just say goodbye to my parents." I said, I was stepping off of the steps of the entrance of the train when he caught my shirt and pulled me back. He looked at me cautiously before he hugged me very very tightly.

I hugged him back and I couldn't help frowning. What was wrong with him. What was going on? The moment was intense.

We stood there for a while just hugging. When he let me go he held me by the shoulders and there was something new in his eyes. It was like there was a secret he couldn't tell me and it gave him grief because we told each other everything. I just shook my head, not understanding. He smiled slightly and looked at the necklace I was wearing. I was wearing the one he had given to me on Christmas two years ago. He touched it gently and let it go. He nodded, "I'll just come find you."

"Okay." We stared at each other for awhile but I broke our gaze. I gave up for the moment at trying to fathom his new demeanor. Maybe it was just his nerves. He'd tell me, I knew he would. I looked behind me as I ran back off the train to say goodbye to my parents. He was still standing there looking at the spot where I left.

* * *

**Draco's POV**

I let out a sigh. Julia's compartment was on my right and Crabbe and Goyle's compartment was a little ways down. I had peeked into hers. She was sitting with her legs up, her hand playing with her hair impatiently and looking out the window. She was waiting for me. I noticed Charlotte was in there with her, talking rapidly. She was probably babbling on about something Julia really didn't care about. I smiled.

I closed my eyes briefly. I remembered all our promises, and the promises I couldn't keep now because I had to do this. I had no choice. I couldn't let my father down no matter how bad it hurt either of us. I felt the gaping hole of guilt and frustration in my stomach as I took one last look at her. I timidly hoped she wouldn't hate me completely for this. I'd miss her just as much, if not a hundred times more. I remembered our embrace and almost blew it right then and there and almost opened the door to the compartment. I put my hand down. _I had to do this…_

I clenched my teeth. It very nearly killed me as I remembered the role I had to play and coldly looked straight ahead and passed Julia's compartment, and walked down the aisle away from her.


	7. Chapter 7

**Jennifer's note: **Chapter 7/8 were initially together but it was really long :D Hopefully the two chapters can make up for a few days I need to spend writing! Enjoy! Please, please leave me your thoughts!

Tell me anytime if you think my writing's crap or decent :D

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

"Oh and I heard that they have these secret elf organizations where they…."

Charlotte had been rambling on for hours. She was still talking with the same annoying enthusiasm and wild gestures as she has been using since we left London.

I was lying down across two seats with my arm over my eyes completely bored. And frustrated. It had been hours since we left and Draco never came into my compartment and I was stuck with Charlotte, the babbling bumpkin. I gave up wondering why Draco wasn't in here with me. I settled for a more naïve conclusion that he had just gotten lost and was in a different compartment. Or the food trolley ran him over. Or he saw other people he knew and he was going to find me later…

I didn't want to come to a more practical conclusion that his earlier behavior with me and his absence right now, were correlated. I couldn't think of anything I had done this week to make him act this way with me and not want to be with me. It created a sad and confused pit in my stomach that wouldn't go away. And I just groaned every time I had to hear Charlotte's annoying stream of gibberish instead of what would have been an enjoyable trip. I found myself imagining Draco and I sitting here actually engaging in a real conversation where we thought up stuff we were going to do at school. I imagined his grey eyes shining in excitement at all the possibilities of new mischief we'd get ourselves into like exploring the castle or quidditch or learning new magic.

My own eyes grew sad now. I put my legs over the seat and cupped my face. I was tired of listening to Charlotte and I was tired of just sitting here. I realized Charlotte was already wearing her black school robes and I was still wearing my jeans and shirt. I went to my trunk and pulled them out quickly. Charlotte didn't even stop to hesitate in her story. I didn't even think she minded that I wasn't listening, just so long as she was talking about something and filling the air with her own nonsense.

"And I really hope the boys there are good looking. I know first year boys won't really be up to par but you know there's always the fifth year ones. And I know, I know, who am I to think they'd actually go for a first year-"

I cut her off. "Charlotte. I'm changing."

She looked up. "Oh. Okay. Do you want me to come I know the way-"

I held my hands up, "No. No. It's fine. I'll be back in a second." I stopped her before she could get up.

She nodded, "Okay hurry." She looked at me sternly like she was in a middle of a life threatening altering conversation and I had to be there.

"Okay."

* * *

I felt tiny in my robes. They were tailored to fit me exactly but I felt like the black fabric was drowning me. Like I didn't fit in already. When I left the bathroom I could feel the train losing momentum. We were getting closer. I bit my lip down with nerves. I would've been so much more excited or confident with Draco with me. As I walked down the aisle I could see children in their compartments laughing and talking and excitedly whipping out their wands. I felt a pang of jealousy. Why had Draco desserted me...

"Julia?" I whipped my head around. He wasn't the one I was waiting to see at the moment but I was still just as surprised. I didn't recognize him for a moment. He was extremely tall and lanky and had ginger red hair and English features. I wracked my brain trying to remember him. Hopefully I wasn't embarrassing myself.

I smiled slightly. "Ummm?"

He grinned putting a friendly arm around my tiny shoulders, "poor girl! You probably are mistaking me for George! I'm Fred, and the better looking one at that." He winked, walking with me.

I smiled. "Oh! I remember you. You came to my father's birthday last year. Um your Dad Arthur's a family friend right?"

"Yup." He grinned. "Smashing party that was! Don't think you remember but I had a good bit of firewhiskey." He chuckled. I laughed.

"But look at you! You're all grown up! I was starting to wonder when they'd ship you out!"

"Yeah I know. I really can't wait to get sorted and stuff." I said trying to keep the light conversation going. I was actually thankful to bump into Fred. It was good to finally talk to someone.

He squinted looking at me, studying me for a second. He shifted his mouth to the side and clicked his tongue, and pointed a finger at me. "You look the Gryffindor type." He said grinning widely.

I smiled hugely, "Oh, haha yeah my mum and dad were in Gryffindor."

"Well then it's settled! Come with me, I'm going to introduce to you to your new best friends- Gryffindor runs through our veins!" I smiled and he grabbed my arm and opened the door. We were in a slightly larger compartment that wasn't entirely private. There were just seats of four and tables facing each other. There were about five rows. Conversations filled the room and a table immediately greeted Fred.

"Ah! There he is!"

"Fred! Finally where did you go off to!"

"Took you long enough mate."

Fred grinned widely bringing me along with him. His table was overflowing with friends. Some sat on the table and some stood around laughing and joking and the rest were seated smiling and chattering. I stood nervously beside Fred feeling incredibly young. Some of them looked like they were already well into their years here at Hogwarts.

"Who is this Fred?" His identical twin George said. He was sitting on the table turning his friend's tie into rainbow patterns.

"Gah! Stop that George!" He groaned shoving his wand away.

"Guys! This is Julia. Julia this is…" He pointed to each person in the group.

"Angelina, George of course, Lee, Alicia, Katie, and Oliver." Fred said, the last boy he named smiled at me timidly. He had brown hair and hazel eyes, he was very good looking.

"Hi Julia!" They all chanted smiling. They obviously were friendly and that made me smile in relief.

"Hi!" I said breathlessly, waving.

"She's a first year guys. And I'm betting that she's in Gryffindor, so I decided she should meet the coolest people so she doesn't go off gallavanting with some Slytherin gits or something.

They all beamed, the girl he called Angelina scooted over, "do you want to sit down Julia? Sorry there's no real place to sit."

"Oh no! Not at all." I sat next to her and she smiled. "We also happen to be most of the Gryffindor quidditch team and Lee there is commentator.

The whole table laughed pointing at Lee. He pretended to have a mic in his hands, "And off Fred goes soaring about! Comes back with a rather good looking first year! She's shy but wait til you see, she'll be throwing about hexes and knock over Fred's pompous arse any day now…"

Everyone was cracking up and I had to laugh at Lee's commentating enthusiasm. Fred just grinned and shoved the top of Lee's head.

Lee bowed and said, "do you play quidditch Julia?"

"Oh just in the yard and stuff, but not really."

Katie smiled, "nonsense. Try out for the team!"

"First years never really make it, but we need a good seeker this year." Oliver said calmly, leaning back in his chair.

I nodded, "yeah sure that sounds great."

"Want to see something I learned this summer?" George murmured, looking deviously at Lee. He was only speaking to Angelina and I and his wand was under the table.

Angelina started shaking her head, "oh no George…Snape's going to come into the compartment again!"

George snickered, "he can kiss my arse, it's bloody brilliant this spell is…"

He muttered an incantation and flicked his wand at Lee.

Suddenly Lee's pants caught on fire. My eyes popped wide open and Angelina started to scream "Lee! Lee!" George was positively rolling around in laughter. And suddenly I had to laugh too because I realized Lee's pants weren't really on fire. It was just an illusion, and I knew so because there was no smoke or heat and it didn't smell. Lee didn't notice though and dove over Katie and out onto the aisle. Suddenly everyone in the room was looking at our riotous group. I hadn't noticed a pair of eyes boring into me as I was struggling to breathe through laughter.

Fred high-fived George and the both were red in the face laughing, Oliver was just shaking his head. Lee was a hilarious sight. He was yelping frantically rolling around on the ground trying to put out the fire, it however, it only grew stronger the more he tried to put it out.

"Water! Someone get water!"

"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh MY GOD!" Lee was trying to remove his pants and kept rolling around. His drawers caught on fire.

"Can you move for a second?" Angelina said next to me frantically, I stood up with Fred and she went to go help Lee.

"Lee! Stay still! Stay still!"

A whole circle of kids were around us were cracking up, Fred put his arm around me again and snickered in my ear "I taught him this spell, poor bloke's going to be on fire until he stops freaking out about it." I just looked up at Fred and was laughing furiously. As we stood there laughing together I saw him out of the corner of my eye.

He was in the only group in the room that wasn't standing up to watch or shaking with laughter. They were in the table closest to the door a few rows in front of me. He was sitting with two larger boys that reminded me a great deal of Matthew and Charlie from years past. And a black-haired girl our age was sitting next to him. I stiffened. I didn't directly look at him, but I knew he was looking at me. He looked both bored and unamused which was odd for him, but there was an odd look in his eyes as he looked at me…I tried hard to keep laughing with Fred but he noticed I was still.

"Julia?" He uncharacteristically frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh. Huh. Nothing."

Fred grinned and patted my back.

"FRED MAKE IT STOP!" Lee screamed.

Fred just bit down his lip and laughed, "I don't know how mate!" He lied.

"GAHHHHHH!"

Suddenly the room got quiet, it was just Lee's thrashing movements and his arms flailing over the flames and profuse curses. A tall sallow looking man appeared in the doorway closest where Draco was. He had long black greasy hair and his cloak made him look like a hooked-nose vampire.

"What is all the commotion." He said loud enough to send a chill down my spine.

He looked directly at Fred and I and then raised his eyebrows at Lee.

He swooped over to where we were in a fluid motion and muttered something with his wand pointed at Lee's pants. Suddenly Lee's pants were good as new.

He looked down at it and frowned, "blimey." Lee groaned and laid on the ground.

"You eight. " He pointed at us.

"You're coming with me off the train." He said coldly. His mouth was in a stiff line. All the kids had sit back down in their seats, looking down like nothing had happened. They were absolutely silent. I hadn't even noticed the train stopped.

My face was red. _God damn it, I'm in trouble already._ Fred just bit his lip to keep from laughing.

"Think this is funny Mr. Weasley? Haven't even gotten off the train yet and you already have a week's detention." Snape said snidely.

Fred looked at Snape coldly, "A new record if I do say so myself."

"Lets go." Snape said dismissively.

We all followed Snape out the door he had come through. I was already dreading the consequences and I found myself hating this professor already. As I passed Draco's table I decided to look at him and maybe say hi. He looked surprised I had noticed him. I only looked at him the same way I had when we had left. Confused and hurt. I know he noticed the questions in my eyes but he looked stiffly away. My mouth fell open, ready to break down_. He was ignoring me?_ Fred still had his arm around me and muttered "sorry about this Julia"

I was sorry for different reasons.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Seven (Continued)**

**Draco's POV**

"Serves those bloody red headed gits right." Pansy muttered under her breath, smirking when Snape had shut the door behind them.

"Shall we Draco?" She stood up into the aisle gathering her belongings. Crabbe and Goyle stiffly followed, both hunching slightly when they walked because of their bulky figures. They stayed around me like bodyguards; I was already getting tired of it.

I nodded. I stayed quiet for a while, thinking. My throat was dry. Of course Julia would just happen to see me…It was like magnetism. Like I couldn't avoid her and she was subconsciously doing everything to make this harder for me. She had been there with the Weasleys. I grimaced. My father told me about them, he called them second class blood traitors and naturally I'd have to put them in their places this year. Julia was already friends with a pair of them. _Perfect_, I grumbled.

The whole train ride while Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy were engrossed in their Slytherin garble, I had been devising plans to do my father's bidding but somehow come off as less of a jerk when Julia was around. I was trying to see if there was anyway I could make it work.

Well, she already knew I was avoiding her. She saw that I had new friends. She was already friends with some of my dad's enemies. She was going to be in a different house. I wanted to put my head in my hands. Four wrongs and we weren't even at the castle yet. _How was I going to do this?_

Pansy was staring at me curiously when I was silent when she complained about the "grotesque half giant" Hagrid that was calling all the first years over to him. I just glared murderously at everything in sight and muttered a few insults I didn't really mean. _I might as well keep up the charade if I was going to lose everything anyways._

_

* * *

  
_

**Julia's POV**

_Oh god….Oh god…Oh. My. God. _

Snape had made the eight of us come with him to the castle on carriage. I wasn't even traveling with all the first years across the black lake like tradition. I was internally freaking out. I needed to get sorted…What if I was going to get expelled? My parents were going to. Freak. Out.

He had brought us to his creepy office a few floors down beneath the castle. All eight of us were cramped in there while he stood behind his black desk with his arms folded glaring at each of us through his greasy hair, his pale lips in a deep frown.

I stood nervously off to the side while Fred and George were snickering something to themselves next to me.

"So, what's the verdict?" Fred said nonchalantly playing with a vile of something off of Snape's desk.

Snape tapped his wand and the vile flew back to the wall behind him. He frowned even deeper. He looked malevolent.

"Silence. Since I already know you two don't really care about the quality of education you receive and would much rather spend your time fooling around like a pair of insolent dolts, I'll spare you the lecture. I, however, do not know you."

He pointed one pale finger at me. I froze. I was wide eyed. If someone looked at me at the moment I probably looked like road kill.

He looked at me, waiting.

"I…um…" I mumbled.

"Well?" Snape said furiously

"She's a first year professor, she hasn't been sorted yet. Her name is Julia."

Wood spoke up for me. He had his hands folded and he was leaning against the wall looking at Snape in the eyes.

"Well, well. So you decided to entangle your endeavors with this lot have you?"

I nodded.

"You're in for quite a year. Not even five minutes here yet…"

He looked at me dead in the eye, "I'd watch my behavior if I was you. A weeks detention for all of you."

I nodded weakly, my stomach entangled into knots. It could have been worse…

Fred and George were smiling and turning ready to leave but Snape said, "And two weeks detention for you two Mr. Weasleys."

Fred and George slightly frowned.

"Now go straight to the feast. If I see any of you doing something I'll take you to Dumbledore."

We all turned to leave, I looked behind me and Snape was just staring daggers at me. I felt a chill go down my spine.

All eight of us were silent as we walked down the hall from his office but Fred grinned wildly at me and squeezed my hand, "brilliant." He mouthed.

I just giggled quietly. Lee looked at George furious and gestured his hand across his neck like George was done for.

"I'd like to see you try." George snickered.

We walked towards the great hall and once we were out of Snape's territory and we had made sure he was out of sight the eight of us began to crack up in laughter. Katie and Angelina hooked arms with me and ruffled my hair, "did you see Snape's face?!"

"He looked like he was about to turn into a bat." Lee said in between laughs.

George's face was getting red, "ha ha ha ha, Snivelly Snape! Snivelly Snape getting very snivelly indeed!"

Fred was hooting with laughter and Oliver was just shaking his head again smiling. I stayed back with him, "thanks." I said quietly.

He grinned, "anytime. So, wait, guys, how's Julia going to get sorted?"

Everyone stopped and looked around nervously. The first years were nowhere in sight.

Fred shrugged, "I'm sure Dumbledore won't notice."

"Right, Fred. An unsorted student. I'm sure that'll go over really well." Alicia said rolling her eyes.

"I'm sure it won't be too bad." George said elbowing me playfully, "let's just go to the feast, maybe they haven't started yet."

George and Fred opened the huge double doors of the great hall and I felt hundreds of pairs of eyes on us as we walked in. Everyone was already seated and Dumbledore himself was speaking. I had missed the sorting.

* * *

**Draco's POV**

"Gryffindor will only make him weak." Pansy snickered.

"He's a scar faced sod, what do you expect?" I spat.

My friends around me only laughed as I glared at Harry Potter. He was sitting with a Weasley (of course) and a bushy haired girl I already didn't like. He had chosen them over us when I offered him a place in our little group. He probably chose the wiser but it set the rivalry my father predicted in stone. There would be no turning back. From here on Harry Potter was my enemy and he was going to suffer. That was my duty, my purpose. Harry tried hard to glare at me with the same intensity but he only looked away from me.

"You win, Draco." Pansy said amused.

"Of course I do." I had to smile at my efforts. I was surprised I was playing the villain so skillfully.

All of a sudden the faint talking of Dumbledore was interrupted by a fit of laughter and the sound of the two doors of the great hall being opened. Eight people walked in.

"Sshh Fred!" A girl whispered in their group.

My face grew hard at once. I saw the little Weasels and their friends… And Julia was there tagging along laughing with an older looking boy from Gryffindor.

"Well, well." Pansy said beside me crossing her arms.

"That's the missing one isn't it?" Crabbe said.

"She's going to get it from McGonagall. They were searching everywhere for her…Hmph. Serves her right…Probably off with Wood the whole time." Pansy was jealous by the end.

_Where had she been? I was so worried that they were sending her home…I had been waiting for her name…_

I stiffened when I saw Wood. He had Julia by the arm and was leading her down the hall to the front where the teachers were sitting. Everyone else sat at the Gryffindor table. Julia was embarrassed, I could see it. She was looking down and she almost tripped over her own feet. I almost smiled, her clumsiness never ceased to amaze me.

Wood brought her up to Dumbledore and was talking to him while Julia had her arms folded, she was off to the side trying to avoid everyone's stares. I saw Dumbledore nodding and smile at Julia. He waved for Professor McGonagall to come over.

McGonagall held the sorting hat as she walked to the front.

"Ah, pardon me everyone but it seems we have one final sorting!" Dumbledore said.

"God damn it, let's just eat already." Goyle moaned.

Pansy sighed bored.

I tried to not look so engrossed but on the inside my stomach was in knots. The familiar ache returned. I wished her so badly to be in Slytherin. Then all the pretending could stop…And all the damage would be done…And I could say sorry and….

Julia sat on the stool, red faced and fidgeting with her robes. McGonagall put the talking sorting hat gingerly on Julia's head.

I held my breath.

It only took a moment.

"GRYFFINDOR!"


	9. Chapter 9

**Jennifer's note:** Sorry it's taken me awhile to update. Writer's block perhaps? I hope you like this chapter!

* * *

**Chapter Nine **

"Charlotte! Charlotte!"

I spotted Charlotte amongst all the first years being rounded up by the prefects to show them to their dormitories for the first time. She was talking to a boy I didn't recognize and grudgingly turned her head to look at me. I stopped in front of her and smiled, "hey."

"Yes?" She said raising her eyebrow. She patted the boy's arm and whispered for him to meet up with her later, shooting me an annoyed look. _What was up with her…_

"What house are you in? I missed the sorting…"

She snorted, "yeah, I noticed. Nice grand entrance."

Why was she being such a witch?

"If you must know, I'm in Slytherin."

"What?"

"Oh, now you want to talk?" She rolled her eyes and just smirked, "I'll see you around Jules." She patted my arm and turned to leave me in the crowd.

_Great, she was mad at me because I left her on the train. I had totally forgotten…_ And now she was in the same house as Draco…Well I guess now she could make a pass at him whenever she wanted and I wouldn't be there…I had seen him walk down to the dungeons with his cronies. I was talking with Oliver and he just passed me like I didn't exist.

I almost laughed out loud at how bizarre my first day here was. It was like I was in a parallel universe where suddenly Charlotte and Draco both hated me (although I could never be sure if Charlotte liked me in the first place) and I was already getting in trouble with an unlikely group of friends.

This was going to make for an interesting year…I sighed and tried to my find my way to the dormitories.

* * *

My entire scholastic career consisted of my mother tutoring me at home. She taught me dancing…and algebra…and literature… and the like. The basics. I basically rolled out of bed and studied when I pleased everyday. So, to the say the least I was very…very…unprepared for this.

"Julia! Julia wake up! Don't you have class?" Angelina shook me awake. It was eight o'clock.

"Wh-what? Where's my schedule." My words sounded garbled, thick with sleep.

Angelina put the parchment next to my face, "hurry! You have potions first! I have to go! Meet with us at lunch!"

"What?" I finally opened my eyes. Sun filtered in through the window and lit up the room. I was still in my bed with the sheets twisted around me, and my hair wild about my face. Angelina was gone. I took the parchment. I scanned it for my first class. First hour was beginning potions with professor Severus Snape.

I. Nearly. Screamed.

I jumped out of bed grabbing my socks, button down shirt, and skirt. I quickly got ready shoving a few books into my bag and my wand and put on my shoes. My shirt wasn't tucked in properly and my ties was still hanging around my bag.

"Oh god oh god oh god." I murmured over and over again as I tripped my way down the stairs to the common room and out of the portrait.

I nearly slipped and fell down the stairs as I looked at my schedule, half jogging half fixing my tie. I had no effing idea where potions was.

This was a complete disaster.

I frantically looked at my watch and it was ten past eight. I settled for remembering where his office was near the dungeons so his classroom probably wasn't far from it.

There weren't any students in sight as I ran down the marble floored halls and vaulted ceilings of the ancient castle. The sun sparkled through the stained glass and I caught a reflection of myself.

Oh god….

I looked like a train wreck, my hair looked like I just had been ambushed by chimaeras and I didn't even get a chance to brush my teeth.

I ran down a few flights of stairs and finally reached a hall lit with torches. I heard Snape's distant drawl… My stomach felt queasy and I felt like I was going to be nauseous. I had never been late to a class before let alone been in a real class with real students and the worst, the tyrant Snape. I wanted to just ditch and go upstairs and hide for a four hours. And shower. I internally prayed and begged for a divine force to just kill me there. I stood in the doorway and Snape was lecturing, all the students bent over their desks scribbling frantically with their quills. He looked as daunting as ever.

I tried to tip toe my way in as silent as possible but I wasn't even past the doorway when he spoke.

"Ah. Ms. Blaire. It seems wherever you go you have a constant inclination for trouble and showing up late."

"I'm sorry I didn't realize-"

"Take your seat." He was staring at me with his pointing to an empty desk right in front him.

I blushed scarlet, I almost tripped over my feet to my chair. I felt all my classmates staring at me and a few giggled when I tripped.

"And you might want to fix your tie." He was frowning severely at me, pointing to my tie. It was behind my shoulder.

My face was crimson. I went to fix my tie, keeping my head down not looking at anyone. I noticed from the corner of my eye I was sitting next to a bushy hair girl who was looking straight ahead with a quill in her hands. I put my book bag on my table. I just wanted to go back to my bed and mope and restart this mundane morning.

Snape started to speak again. "Dundling celebrities and truant students. Not a very good showing on your part today, Gryffindor. Ten points that will cost you. " I heard a few groans.

Dundling celebrities? Someone in here was famous? I looked around. No one particularly caught my eye... It couldn't have been an actress or a famous quidditch player…I frowned when I noticed none of my new friends were in here, and of course they weren't, they were already well into their courses here.

I kept looking around…Ah.

Draco was there, leaning back in his chair. He wasn't staring at me. He was staring at someone in the middle of the room. The look on Draco's face…It wasn't nice. Quite the contrary, he was staring daggers at a boy with black unkept hair and glasses. He was bent over his desk writing something. I couldn't really see his face. Draco…My stomach did that thing again, it was like it was doing backflips and I felt sick. Whenever I used to see Draco all I ever felt was uncontained happiness and excitement…

Snape was rambling on about something, and staring viciously at me every five seconds, so I decided to just pretend like I was doing something. I took out parchment and my quill and ink and frantically copied whatever the girl next to me was writing. It looked like it would make much more sense than whatever I'd come up with.

When class was over everyone in class was collecting their belongings and Snape just stalked out of the room coldly. I frowned and sighed, shoving everything into my bag. I was completely confident that potions would be that one class I would dread coming to everyday and would probably try to find any excuse to get out of it. Fainting maybe…Or feigning ill…Or death. That could work.

I didn't realize the bushy-haired girl next to me was looking at me.

"Are you alright?" She said, looking at me up and down.

"Huh? Oh…" I was trying to stuff my bag into my cauldron. Awesome.

"I'm just…having a really bad day." I roughly took out my bag and put my cauldron in it, sighing heavily.

The girl smiled gently, "I'm Hermione Granger. I'm really sorry…What's your next class?"

I stuck my hand out, "I'm Julia. And, I'm not sure…"

She shook my hand and we smiled, I frantically took my schedule out.

"I have transfiguration."

"Oh with McGonagall! Great so do I!" She smiled warmly and put her bag over her shoulder.

We were walking out of the room and I noticed her robes, "You're in Gryffindor too?"

"Yes! I noticed you were too yesterday at the um, sorting, I was actually hoping to-"

We were interrupted by a cacophony of voices and a group of students huddled around in a circle around two boys outside of the dungeons.

"Just ignore it, probably a duel." She muttered, I was turning my head ready to just keep walking, but I heard his voice.

"What? Little famous Potter can't take some competition?" I heard Draco drawl maliciously.

"Draco?" I muttered to myself. I turned back leaving Hermione slightly behind to walk to the circle of people. I pushed my way to the front.

I was directly across from Draco, he had his wand pointed at that same boy with the unkept hair and glasses. The boy just looked fiercely annoyed and fed up. He took out his wand out of his pocket.

"Leave me alone."

"Sure, Potty." Draco snickered. He was raising his wand as if to attack him when his eyes flickered onto mine. Our eyes met and I just looked so confused and upset. He looked surprised and embarrassed. His spell was caught in his throat for the moment.

_What in Merlin was he doing?_

I shook my head. I didn't want to see anymore. I just left the circle and Hermione trailed after me.

I didn't hear Draco and that boy he was fighting with arguing anymore so maybe I got there in time…Still, I was so put out with Draco. I didn't want to think about him. Everytime I did it made me think about how betrayed I felt.I thought I used to know him. I didn't know who this vicious creature was. My best friend was gone.

* * *

"Hey Jules!"

I sat next to Fred and Oliver at the Gryffindor table for lunch. The table was already laden with a wide and overbearing assortment of food. I just sunk down next to them sighing. Hermione sat across from me trying to smile at me. I had spent the hour in transfiguration whispering to her about Draco and I in between lecture. She listened very carefully and it was just refreshing to vent to someone. I was glad to have someone who understood.

"Hey guys."

"How was your first day Jules?" Fred said, squeezing my shoulder. He was gnawing on a piece of chicken.

"It was alright…" Hermione gave me a sympathetic look while helping herself to some food.

"And I'm pretty sure Snape is going to make my life a living hell." I added sourly. Oliver just laughed.

"He does that." Oliver smiled at me, trying to lift my spirits.

I just sat there staring at nothing in particular.

"You're not going to eat Julia?" Hermione said, frowning and gesturing to the food.

"I'm not hungry…" I sounded glum to even myself

Fred wrapped an arm around me, "is everything okay, you sound different?"

"I'm fine, school's just not as easy as I thought." Definitely not.

Fred grinned, "do you want to do something fun? Have you had your flying lesson yet?"

"No." I shook my head.

Oliver and Fred grinned, "good." They said in unison.

* * *

Fred, Oliver, Angelina and I were walking down to the quidditch pitch. Hermione told us she wanted to save her flying lesson for class and rushed to the library.

I nervously held one of the school's brooms in both of my hands. It felt way too big for me and I found myself imagining myself falling off of it.

I bit my lip. Fred and Oliver were both walking at ease, as they played quidditch and flew regularly, but I was never that good at it. Draco used to make fun of me when he'd soar up into the sky and I'd stay stationary, hovering only three feet on the ground where my feet could touch. Although, after coaxing and persuasion Draco always convinced me to be chaser and he'd be keeper and he'd cheer me on when I actually did fly around and he'd let me score…

We were at the center of the pitch and the three of them put their brooms down, Fred was clutching a quaffle.

Fred and Oliver just looked at me, I followed.

"Alright. Have you flown on a broom before, Jules?" Fred started.

I nodded weakly, looking at my broom nervously again.

"Excellent, this should be easy. We're going to play an impromptu game of quidditch. Angelina will be keeper, Oliver and you will be chasers, and I'll be a blocker."

"A blocker?"

"Well…I would be beater but I didn't want to knock Wood here down too hard."

Oliver rolled his eyes, laughing.

"Alright ready?"

The three of them mounted their brooms and I tried to look as confident as I could. My attempt was in vain.

I couldn't lift on the ground, and when I did I'd just teeter and totter and I slipped off my broom. Of course.

Fred and Angelina instantly took off, I noticed Angelina trying to shove Fred playfully and the two of them were chasing eachother. Oliver was about to take off as well but he noticed I had fell.

He was laughing, "Jules! Are you alright?" He jumped off his broom and helped me up.

"Yeah, yeah. I just, kind of haven't flown in a while." My cheeks were flushing red.

He laughed completely at ease, "alright. Here. Let me help."

He held the broom up for me and took me at the shoulder.

"Alright. Mount it. And when you do just relax and close your eyes."

I did as I was told, both feet solidly on the ground over my broom.

"Good. Okay. Now just, imagine yourself wanting to just…move. To soar. To have everything rushing around you and just enjoying it."

I was closing my eyes completely oblivious. I hadn't realized Oliver was very close behind me with his hands on my waist. It probably looked like something else…

I was just clutching my broom pretending I was flying. Away from Hogwarts, away from this moment, away from this time. I was flying back to bliss and serenity. I was flying back to the days where things didn't matter and it was just me and him and all we did was laugh in our own childish bubble.

I opened my eyes. He was the only person I wanted to see but the last I expected I actually would. I saw Draco retreating from the quidditch pitch as I stood there with Oliver.


	10. Chapter 10

**Jennifer's note**: I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. It's the first chapter I dedicated based entirely on character development other than just merely continuing on with a stream of events that mean this or that. It kind of brings the core of the story full circle with both Julia and Draco's story, and I thought that was really special. So please! Leave me your feedback, I'd really appreciate it. I put my whole heart in this chapter and couldn't wait to get it out there!

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

"Julia?"

I could feel Oliver tensing as I did when my eyes snapped open. Draco was gone. I forgot about the broom altogether and dropped it and I twisted around, "I'm sorry." I said apologetically to a confused Oliver and took off running. He just stood staring after me.

I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. I didn't even know what happened. _Was he looking for me? Why did he just leave? Why couldn't he just talk to me? _I didn't understand. And then I remembered Oliver's close proximity to me…Whispering to me…Me closing my eyes…

It was nothing like that. That was just absurd to me. That couldn't have been it.

I was frantically running where I could, looking towards the trees of the forest, looking towards the castle. I stumbled up the slope up to the hall outside that lead to the clock tower. I couldn't see him anywhere. Was I really starting to imagine things? Did I imagine him being there? I almost laughed; all of this was making me go delusional.

I was ready to sink down on a bench in the hall. I wanted to cry.

Just before I did I saw robes disappearing around the corner.

"Hey! Wait!" I called. I ran faster. I almost tripped but caught myself on the wall.

I turned the corner and I saw him walking down the hall quickly away from me. His slicked blonde head distinct and retreating.

"Draco!" I called.

He didn't turn. I ran after him and just as he was about to turn again I caught the back of his robes.

"Draco, Draco! Please stop." I pleaded. I pulled him back, he just jerked out of my grip and finally turned around. He was glaring at me dangerously and his nostrils were flared.

"What do you want Julia?" He spat. He crossed his arms and continued to scowl murderously.

I instantly took a step back. I forgot what I was chasing him for. I forgot how to breathe. The way he looked at me…It wasn't right. It tore me up.

"I just-" I murmured. Tears were about to spill over my eyes.

"Why do you keep following me?" He interrupted.

"I-I'm not. I just…I just wanted to see if you're okay." I whispered. My eyes were wide, trying to look for the answers in his grey ones. His stare never faltered. They were relentlessly cold.

"I'd be a great load better if you just left me alone." His tone was acidic.

Tears began to stream down my cheeks, I shoved them away angrily. "Why are you doing this. You're supposed to be my best friend."

He shook his head grimly, "Not anymore." He said it without sympathy. Without remorse.

I was in pieces.

"Why are you doing this!" I shrieked at him. I had enough. My fists were balled at my sides. I was frustrated. I just wanted to hit something. I didn't understand the change in him and why he had been lying to me all this time if he never wanted to stay my friend.

I saw his will crumble a little as my breathing was getting heavy and tears were gushing out of my eyes. All this pain was just too much. I was too young. I couldn't understand any of it.

He swallowed, conceding a little bit, he just whispered, "Jules. We can't be friends. We just can't."

I shook my head closing my eyes. "But why Draco…Of course we can. Just because I couldn't be in Slytherin doesn't mean…"

"There's more to it." He was shaking his head. "It's better this way."

"Just tell me why…" I started. I couldn't finish. It was too much. Too much. My stomach was gaping open with all the confusion and anger I felt.

Draco just leaned against the wall and breathed. His eyes were closed too. He was shaking his head.

"All I know is I can't have you around anymore Julia."

I felt like I had been stabbed.

My eyes snapped open and I gritted my teeth. I grabbed the necklace around my neck and yanked it off. It was the delicate silver one with the daisy that he gave to me. I wore it everyday. He watched me as I pulled on it viciously and held it up to him.

I shoved it in his hands and said every word through my teeth, "Everything you ever told me. You were just lying. This whole time. _I hate you Draco._"

I looked up into his eyes. I'm not sure if I meant it. I think I just wanted to see what he would do. And if he would change his mind. I knew all it was, was just my anger. I didn't hate him. I cared about him too much. But now it hurt to care…His eyes were blank for a moment. He just stood there with my necklace in his hands and his jaw was locked. He just swallowed. And looked at me just as coldly.

"Fine." He said curtly. It was final. He looked unmoved. Unaffected. He didn't care.

I couldn't see anything after that. My eyes filled with tears and I just ran down the hall away from him. He walked the opposite way.

* * *

I forgot what the time was. I didn't know if it was hours or minutes later. It all didn't really matter to me. I was lying curled up on my side in the dewy grass next to the shore of the black lake. The sky was a haze of pinks and purples, the sun was painting its dusk across the sky. I subconsciously meandered across the grounds and found myself here. I had never been here. It was beautiful and I swore I saw the monster of the lake pop out once out of its glassy surface. But I couldn't be too sure. I couldn't see clearly. Not since what happened. I wanted to laugh at how melodramatic I had become. But I was too sad for that, too.

As I turned to lay on my back I heard a rustling in the trees. I shot up and looked around nervously. I was looking back at the lake when I heard footsteps.

"Oh-woah- Hi." It was the boy with the messy hair and glasses Draco had been fighting with. He was stepping out of the trees a couple feet away from where I was sitting.

"I'm sorry- do you want me to leave?" He looked just as surprised as I and he gestured that he could just head back.

I smiled, "oh not at all. I think it's big enough out here for the both of us.

He smiled timidly "I just went for a walk. I didn't mean to intrude."

I nodded. He looked cautiously at me before he sat down next to me.

I looked sideways at him, "what's your name?" I said conversationally.

He looked surprised again for a second. "Oh um. I'm Harry."

I nodded oblivious, "I'm Julia Blaire. Nice to meet you."

He genuinely smiled this time and we just sat in silence for a second. I was deliberating.

"I um, I saw you fighting with Draco. Are you okay?" I said slowly. I didn't want to be intrusive but something in me felt like someone should apologize. It wasn't Harry's fault.

Harry's eyebrows pulled together and he looked down at the ground.

"Yeah. That Malfoy's just…He's a git. But I'm okay. Thanks."

"He didn't hex you or anything?" I surveyed Harry. He seemed to be alright. He was really pale and scrawny. He actually reminded me of Draco in some obscure way.

"Oh, er no. He told me to meet him down at the quidditch pitch today so we could duel. I was just there, he never showed I guess. Scared or something…" He was frowning and pulling grass by the roots.

I sat still. That's why Draco had been there…He was going to duel Harry. He wasn't looking for me after all…I felt even fouler than before. I didn't know what to think. But then, he had left. He saw me and left even when he knew he was going to meet Harry. Why was that? Another mystery.

"Don't let him bother you…" I said, trying to put Harry at ease.

"Do you know him or something?" Harry asked.

I looked down and bit my lip. "No, not really."

I didn't know why I lied. I think it's because if I pretended I didn't know him some of the gnawing pain would go away and I could just deal with it if he didn't exist. I doubted it though.

"Oh. Well, he's just a bully. Someone's got to stand up to him." Harry shrugged.

I smiled at Harry, "that's really nice."

He grinned, "you are too. Its really nice to talk to you…You're one of the only pleasant people here…"

I frowned, "why do you say that?"

His faced turned red and he murmured, "it's just really hard being here I guess."

He didn't look at me. I tried to look at him but he just seemed really down about something. I suddenly felt like I could relate.

"For me, too. I um…Thought I knew one of my best friends and he just…He abandoned me."

"I know the feeling. Being abandoned, I mean." Harry said timidly.

I studied Harry for a moment. The paleness of his skin…His glasses…His hair…And then I saw the lightning bolt shaped scar between the strands of black hair concealing it. I had seen him before. I felt like such an idiot. That's why he looked so surprised when I didn't know his name, he was used to people gawking at him all the time. He was the "celebrity" Snape was speaking about. I remember my father in a distant time telling me about him. He was the boy who lived. I suddenly felt a pang of anger towards Snape. Harry probably didn't want to be a celebrity…That's probably why he was so sad. He was constantly reminded of his parents…He had no one. I felt like I was on a similar boat. And then I suddenly felt furious at Draco for trying to fight Harry. He had no right.

"You're really brave. I just, I hope you know that." I said softly.

"Thanks. That means a lot." He said. He looked like he meant it.

We were silent then. It wasn't an awkward silence, it was actually really calming. Dusk was fading into evening and the trees and lake and the whole scenery seemed almost saturated in the crisp air. It was beautiful. Harry had his eyes closed. For one split moment I had clarity.

I wouldn't let Draco's selfishness bring down people like Harry. It was one thing for him to treat me the way he did, but for someone like Harry that was truly inexcusable. I decided to channel my anger towards something worth it. I knew what it would cost me. If I stood on Harry's side instead of Draco's…But I knew that Draco didn't want if it could help Harry, I would do it.

I felt confident about my resolve. I almost felt the warmth coming back into me. I turned and smiled at Harry to make conversation, "do you play quidditch?"

He grinned slightly, "I um, I had my first flying lesson today. McGonagall made me Gryffindor's new seeker."

My mouth fell open in surprise, "that's great!"

He looked anxious, "I know. I can't even believe it. I'm really nervous I've never really played…"

I smiled, "you're going to do great. You know, you should come sit with me and my friends at dinner. I hangout with practically the whole team and the commentator."

"Really?" He was excited now.

"Yeah, I'm sure they'd like to get to know you."

"Wow, thanks. Cool." He stammered.

I grinned, I was feeling good about this already. I stood up and stretched, "do you want to go up now?"

Harry nodded and stood up. Him and I walked through the trees and out onto the huge expanse of grass leading up to the castle.

"Do you play quidditch?" He asked quietly.

I laughed, "definitely not." I remembered today's debacle and shook my head. Quidditch and I were not a healthy mix. I'm sure it would result in my premature death if I even tried to pursue it.

He grinned, "yeah. I'm pretty new to all of this. I um…I was raised by muggles. This is kind of a shock for me."

I nodded. "It's a shock for me too, don't worry."

I was amazed at how easy it was to talk to Harry. Even more so than Hermione or Fred or Oliver. He was extremely down to earth and it was refreshing to know that these kinds of persons still existed.

As we were talking quietly to eachother I looked up. My heart almost stopped. Coming towards Harry and I down the slope was Draco and a couple of his new friends.

"Great." Harry muttered and shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans. He looked down.

I bit my lip down and looked at Harry, and then at Draco's distant figure walking cockily towards us. I took a deep breath.

_I know what to do…I know who I have to be…_

In that breath, I took life of a new more confident Julia. A Julia who wouldn't be scared. A Julia who didn't need to depend on her best friend to be strong. I'd be myself, I could do this.

Draco and his cronies stopped a couple feet from us. He stood in front of them. I frowned, they were immensely built and looked like they could snap me in half. I looked nervously at Harry and I felt scared for him too. The night around us made it all more daunting and I shivered.

_Gah! Why was I such a whimp!_

"It's okay Julia." Harry muttered and stepped in front of me, but I continued and stood next to him and nodded at him smiling. Then I turned to Draco and just gave him an icy look.

He was staring malevolently at both of us, the aura of our fight earlier that day lingered like an elephant.

"Leave." He said dismissively to me, he looked at me quickly and paid attention to Harry.

I spoke up. "Leave him alone. He didn't do anything to you."

"I said leave. Now." Draco said more firmly.

I rolled my eyes at how childish Draco could be. He wasn't threatening me. There wasn't anything he could do to scare me.

"We have unfinished business Potter." Draco said calmly. He smirked, toying with his wand in his robes.

"I don't want to fight you, Malfoy." Harry said calmly. He stood confidently and locked eyes with Draco.

"Oh yeah? You scared Potter? Where's mommy?" Draco laughed coldly, his cronies cackling behind him.

"Don't talk to him about that. Even without a mother at least he didn't turn out as messed up as you." I spat angrily at him.

At that point Draco advanced and was inches away from my face looking down at me. The tension was paralyzing. "I don't want to hurt you Julia." He said quietly through his teeth. His grey eyes were piercing through mine. It was like he was pleading.

I laughed without humor, "it's too late for that."

Draco's teeth clenched together and he looked stiffly at Potter, "you always let girls do your fighting for you?" Harry just continued to stare, I saw his knuckles clenched tight over his fist and wand. Draco was about to strike…

"You'd know something about that." I chimed to delay the time. I didn't want them to fight. The next thing that happened…was very different.

This time Draco gave me a sharp look and just eyed me desperately. Like he was trying to tell me something through his eyes. It wasn't that cold and dead stare I was used to when trying to fathom any of his cruel actions towards me. I just shook my head stubbornly. I couldn't fall for this one. Not anymore. The old Julia was gone. The one that stood in front of Draco whenever harm came his way. That girl was gone. Just like how the smiling boy who saved my broken sword and walked me home in his drawers just so I'd be safe…was gone.

Draco gave up whatever he was trying to do by looking at me like the way he did. His jaw locked and he looked at Potter with his eyes narrowed. "We'll finish this later. Crabbe. Goyle. Let's go."

Draco smirked at Harry and didn't look at me again. He began walking up the slope with a disappointed Crabbe and Goyle behind him, looking over their shoulders and raising their fists to us to signal this wasn't over.

When they were out of sight I let out a breath and laughed shakily at Harry.

"Thanks, Julia. You didn't have to do that." Harry said warmly, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Anytime." I whispered.

I looked down, the two halves of what I wanted and what I knew had to be done, warring inside me.

* * *

**Earlier that day. Draco's POV**

I held her necklace in my shaking pale hands. I didn't know where I was. I just walked anywhere and I was alone in an empty corridor where I couldn't be seen. I looked at the ceiling and covered my eyes with my hands. Even with my eyes closed Julia's face was the only thing I saw. Everywhere I turned it was that same pained expression that haunted me. I never wanted her to see me like this...I had told Potter to come to the pitch so there would be no chance that Julia would see me in my villainous state as she had earlier...Her face...I was so ashamed. And it was just like the magnet. She was there again at the pitch stalking my every step subconsciously making this all the more difficult.

What had I done…This was exactly the opposite of what I had planned…Of course I knew the repercussions that would follow if I ignored Julia. I knew she would be angry, I knew she would be frustrated when I had to act like a jerk. But to say that she hated me…I felt like a thousand ton weight had been dropped on me and I couldn't breathe. Pieces of me were missing. My Julia…The girl I cared about…I had made her this way. I made her sad and repulsed and feel alone. I never wanted any of this. She knew I was becoming something…completely unlike myself. No matter what my father said, I knew I owed her some kind of explanation…some kind of warning…I could tell her why I couldn't talk to her anymore right?

There were just so many complications…If I told her, she'd try to find some way to help me. She'd find some way to tell me that I could choose my own way other than my father's…She'd tell me I had a choice and things didn't have to be this way. And then it would come down to choosing between what I wanted and what I had to do.

I scowled. Julia always did the good thing. She was so good and she was the best part of me. Now that I could feel her slipping away from me all I could feel was the role of this person…This horrible person consuming me. _Becoming me._


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven **

**2 days before Halloween, 4th year  
**

"What are you going to be for Halloween?" Hermione said shrilly, ravaging through her Ancient Runes textbook with a slightly manic expression on her face. I had to smile, never once had I seen Hermione unprepared for a test. I was sitting opposite of her, sipping the last of my orange juice.

"Ummm, I'm not sure." I bit my lip, I had totally forgotten about it.

We were having breakfast in the Great Hall. It was currently under hasty reconstruction for our anticipated foreign guests that would be staying with us. They would be arriving the next night for the beginning of the Triwizard Tournament. I saw the straggly Filch barking orders at a few groaning first year students setting up all the decorations for the Halloween Feast.

Hermione snapped her book shut agitatedly and huffed. "Ugh this is useless…you could go in a brown rucksack and still look great. I on the other hand…" She trailed off. She looked so stressed, her hair seemed impossibly more frizzy and out of control.

"Are you okay?" I said, concerned, patting her shoulder from across the table. "I'll help you look for costumes tonight, I promise. We'll figure something out." I assured her.

"Thanks, Jules." Hermione smiled slightly and got up abruptly.

"I have to go to the library before class, I'll see you tonight?" She said.

"Of course." I nodded. I watched her rush off to the library, her hair in a tangled mess behind her. I internally promised myself I'd look up every spell I could to tame that ghastly hair of hers for tomorrow.

I stretched and slowly got up. My first class didn't start for another thirty minutes and all of my other friends were already in their classes. Ever since my first year I had been extremely selective about any class that began before nine o'clock.

I decided to go off onto the grounds and enjoy the crisp autumn air. I liked the way the rays of sun felt on my pale face. I was already losing what little tan I got during the summer at home. I sat on a bench under a large oak tree in the courtyard and closed my eyes thinking of the soft wind that swirled around me. Small reveries like this always brought me back to simpler days…But they always left me feeling empty at the end…

I was no longer a child of six. I turned fifteen that summer and I couldn't even recognize the girl in the mirror anymore. I was a lot taller, I wasn't the incapable elf I used to be. My skin was a cream color and my long brown hair had darkened to a shade close to black. My light blue eyes contrasted greatly with the darkness of my hair and my features were still soft, yet more angular. Hermione always complained about how she got more oaf-like everyday in comparison to my supposed beauty. It always made me feel abashed and confused, I didn't see beauty in her definition, or frankly anyone else's. I thought Hermione's simple amiability and cleverness made her one of the most beautiful girls at school. And just the same whenever I thought of Harry's bravery, or Fred and George's hilarious optimism, made me think they were absolutely dashing.

I frowned as I spotted a few people that did repulse me. Draco, Pansy, and a few of their other trolls for friends were lounging arrogantly by a group of first years in the courtyard. They were taunting them simply because they were there. I rolled my eyes. They were perfectly good examples of ugly people. Whether or not they held any physical beauty was completely masked by their unyielding desire to be dominant Slytherin scum.

I rubbed my eyes and lazily got up to go to class. I was crossing the courtyard when I could feel their eyes on me. I was fidgeting with the hook on my bag when I looked down and didn't see him coming.

"Aargh!"

"Oh wow! Are you okay?!" I said frantically. I had bumped over a boy I rarely spoke to, Milton Stevenson. He was a shy boy with a slight acne and stuttering problem and he was scrambling on the ground collecting his books. I saw his cheeks redden as I heard a symphony of cackles from Draco's gang.

I instantly got on my knees and tried to help Milton, apologizing over and over.

"I'm so sorry, I should have been looking where I was going. Are these your glasses?"

I held up a pair of glasses, I panicked as one of the lenses were cracked.

"Oh gosh I'm so sorry- they're cracked." Milton looked startled and I was searching for my wand in my robes.

"It's a-alright, Julia. I-I can fix them. It's-It's okay." Milton stuttered, avoiding my apologetic gaze. Milton was hunched over slightly at all the books he as carrying in his frail arms. There was one large potions book on the ground and I picked it up for him. I smiled gently at him, "do you need any help with those? Oh, here's your glasses. I'm so sorry, I'm such a clumsy idiot."

I could see the redness from Milton's acne deepen with chagrin as I smiled at him.

"I'm sorry." Milton mumbled.

I nodded and helped him put his books in his bag. "Th-thanks."

"Why don't you walk him to class and give him a kiss too, Blaire!"

I rolled my eyes. One of Draco's henchmen Blaise was calling to me.

"Just ignore them." I mumbled to Milton. He was just staring at me wide-eyed and his lower lip was shaking. "I'm used to it." He muttered.

"Look at him- he can barely stutter." Blaise said through his laughter. Everyone around him was also laughing. Milton looked on the brink of running. I felt so awful.

I whipped around walking stiffly towards them. I made sure not to make eye contact with Draco…I felt him staring at me.

"Why are you all such jerks?" I spat, looking at Blaise in the eyes. Fury pulsed through my veins. Blaise just continued to smile arrogantly, "it's just good fun."

"He didn't do anything to you, so why do you have to pick on him?" I continued.

"Ooo touchy, touchy." Blaise said raising his hands up and winking at me.

I rolled my eyes and gave them all a seething look. When I turned around Milton was gone.

"Seems like your boyfriend left." I heard Draco say mockingly.

I was surprised he even tried to make fun of me. I pretended I didn't hear and stalked off. It was one thing to tell Blaise off…But with Draco... That was one skeleton in my closet I didn't want to dredge up.

* * *

That day of classes I had Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Charms, and Potions. We were already preparing for our O.W.L.S. for next year and I was struggling already. In class Harry, Ron, and I would just strain our necks the whole time to catch Hermione's work. Then she'd scold us for dilly-daddling the whole time and we would erupt in fits of laughter. I had to admit, I was a little frightened of what my marks would be if Hermione weren't constantly pulling our weight.

On the way to my last class of the day I had totally forgotten about my morning accident. I was in a particularly jolly mood just joking around with my friends and talking about the Triwizard Tournament. As we reached the torch-lit hall I noticed Snape had yet to arrive because everyone was clustered around the hall and door. I frowned as I spotted Blaise and Draco talking to some of their Slytherin dimbos. Blaise was staring me down as I walked down the hall with Harry. I pretended I didn't notice and we just kept talking amongst ourselves.

'Jules, I'll give you five galleons if you try to enter." Ron said, egging me on.

"No way Ron! She'll get expelled!" Hermione said, her mouth in a straight line.

"Will not, Hermione." Ron said rolling his eyes and then winking at me.

Harry just laughed, "you couldn't pay me enough to try to enter."

"Good thing you're only fifteen-" I was cut off.

"And then she watched the pimple face go off tearfully! I thought she was going to follow him and snog him!" I heard Blaise roaring with laughter, as he regaled exactly what did not happen this morning. Everyone around him began laughing as well, shooting me dirty looks.

"It's okay Jules He's full of it.." Harry said patting my arm. Ron and Hermione looked at me just as sympathetically.

I just smiled gently trying not to acknowledge everyone staring and laughing about me. Harry was going to say something but everyone got quiet. Snape was sauntering down the hall looking nightmarish as ever. He was carrying two odd and bulky looking objects.

He opened the door with a loud bang, "everyone inside." He commanded.

I went to retrieve my bag and go inside with my friends but Snape stopped me at the door.

"You two. With me." Snape said curtly, pointing. I stepped to the side and I wanted to groan. Draco was right behind me.

Snape was eyeing us two and then the objects he held in his hands.

"You two are to bring these two artifacts to Professor Moody's office. If I find they did not reach their destination and are in any way destroyed I'll have you two shipped off home before you even lay your eyes on a Triwizard Tournament." He said rashly, giving me the death glare. I saw him smirk less murderously at Draco and I rolled my eyes.

Slytherins favoring Slytherins. As if they needed anymore of that.

Snape gave Draco the larger of the artifacts, it looked like an ancient chest with weird inscriptions on it. Snape gave me a medium-sized vase looking thing with a lot of sharp metal edges jutting out from it. I winced as one of the edges poked me.

"Alright. Go." Snape said darkly and disappeared into his classroom.

I adjusted the way I was holding the artifact; avoiding Draco's cocky gaze.

I began walking briskly without acknowledging him. He matched my strides with ease, walking with a smirk. Even now as we were older and I had grown, he still towered over me. As we walked together I could feel the awkwardness in the air. The tension between us was undeniable.

He looked sideways at me as I was struggling to hold the wretched object, "you think you can manage that?" He said snidely.

I ignored him. I was having a little trouble keeping my grip on the vase, I could feel the metal parts stabbing my fingers. But in any case, I didn't want to talk to him. I wanted to do this task and keep on pretending like he didn't exist. We were both good at that.

"So moody these days, Blaire. " Draco taunted as I kept silent with my mouth pursed.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I said icily, not looking at him.

"I could see why hanging with Potter's turned you into a lonerish prat." Draco said.

"Better than the scum you hang with." I muttered.

"Well they're better than who I used to waste all my time with." Draco spat back without any thought to how much that would hurt me.

I couldn't think of anything to say.

_Did he really hate me that much? Did I mean so little to him before that right when we got to school I was just trash that he could throw away? And then make my life living hell everyday afterwards?_

"Right…" I said softly. I tried not to sound so hurt but when I looked into his eyes I knew I looked glum, even to myself.

He just smirked coldly and continued walking. I didn't realize I was gripping the vase so tight that the metal was jabbing into my skin. I lifted my hand up a little bit and my hand was gushing with blood. I internally panicked looking around for anything I could to stop the bleeding. Draco was just walking in front of me. I sighed in frustration, he was probably the last person that would want to help me.

We were in front of Professor Moody's office. I opened the door before Draco could say anything else damaging to me. The professor wasn't inside. His office was a tiny broom-closet looking thing with other strange artifacts like this one. There was a chest in the corner that was shaking and I looked at it curiously. I wanted to go to it but I desperately wanted to get away from Draco and I could feel my hand bleeding some more. I set the artifact down and pushed past Draco out back into the hall.

Draco came out a second later, closing the door behind him. He spotted me standing in the middle of the hallway holding my arm out and panicking. Ruby red droplets dripped onto the marble floor around me.

He walked to my side, trying to grab my arm. "What's wrong with your hand?"

I stubbornly turned away and kept walking. He caught up with me easily, "Stop being so damn stubborn Julia, just let me see it, you're bleeding everywhere-it's pathetic."

"Just leave me alone." I pleaded. I had enough of him. When he wasn't hurting me himself, I was hurt for other reasons. No matter what happened I was always damaged.

I hastily decided to use my white shirt to wipe off the excess blood, I groaned when the blood seeped through easily. I could see Draco next to me taking off his tie.

"Here- use this, stop moving-"

I shoved his hand away as he tried to reach mine. He looked startled and glared at me. I opened my mouth before he could retort.

"Why do you care?" I demanded. "Why do you care if I'm hurt? You never cared before." I said each word with venom.

He just looked taken aback and I was about to just storm off to Madam Pomfrey's but he caught the back of my robes and forced me to stay still. I kept wretching but he was too strong.

"Merlin, Julia." He muttered. He forced my palm upwards and wrapped his tie gently around the gashes. I winced slightly. There was enough pressure on it to stop my hand from bleeding itself dry.

"There. Was that so difficult?" He smirked.

"You didn't need to do that." I muttered, looking at his ruined tie. I felt his gaze on me. When I looked up I saw him studying my hand with a nervous look on his face.

_Was that concern I saw?_

"Draco!"

Both of us turned around. Pansy was walking down the hall frowning at the both of us. Her features looked puglike as she eyed me scornfully. I looked down. Draco moved haphazardly from his close proximity next to me.

"What are you doing with her?" Pansy said, eyeing me suspiciously.

"Nothing, she just cut herself like an idiot." Draco said plainly. I noticed his tone changed immediately. Whatever happened in that split second was gone and he was just back to being as heartless as Pansy.

Pansy just smirked and glanced at my hand, "she'll live." She said uninterested.

The both of them just looked at me distastefully and Pansy said, "come, Draco. Potions was let out early, come with me to the Great Hall?" She said in a sickly sweet tone.

Draco nodded once and the both of them left me there.

* * *

**Later that evening. Draco's POV**

I was lounging lazily on one of the black leather couches when Blaise walked into the common room. It was after dinner and I had gone back up to the common rooms to get away from my friends. They had been annoying me all day. Pansy was right behind Blaise following him like some kind of dog. Crabbe and Goyle were hunching behind him immediately taking their places at my sides.

Blaise fell into an armchair across from me. "Draco." He drawled in greeting.

Pansy sat next to him, smirking at me and playing with Blaise's hair. I wanted to roll my eyes at her. Pansy had been trying to make passes at me for years. Occasionally I'd oblige but hell would freeze over before I'd start going to her as anything other than a last resort.

Pansy was stroking Blaise's arm. "So, Blaise was eyeing that Julia Blaire today. I think he fancies her." She giggled.

My grip on the book I was holding in my hands tightened slightly but I made no notion to look up. I tried to look like I didn't care. Tried, being the key word.

"Who?" I lied, faking a yawn.

"She was the one with Stevenson today." Blaise said quietly looking into the fireplace.

"She's also the richest girl at this school, even richer than you Draco, we hear." Pansy said smugly.

"And also the best looking one." Blaise added nonchalantly. Pansy looked at him sharply. I wanted to laugh. It was almost endearing to see how none of us thought she was that pretty or worth our time. We just kept her around because it was code.

"Ah. Well then by all means." I said gesturing for Blaise to go right on ahead like it meant nothing. I didn't care...

Our encounter earlier today was a close one…I remembered her hand bleeding…I had been so worried. I felt around my neck where my tie was missing.

"Well, I was seeing if you wanted to claim her first…" Blaise said nervously, not making eye contact with me.

I put my book down and crossed my arms and looked at them frowning. I knew this was just natural for them. I was their leader and I always got first pick of everything, including girls.

"I'm actually surprised you haven't noticed this one…" Blaise said, raising an eyebrow.

"I've had other things on my mind at the moment." I said stiffly.

I looked at Blaise coldly. I knew all about him…and the girls he liked. I knew that every single one of them ended up hurt. I had to admit it was hardly his fault. All of my friends just followed my example because every girl I ever dated I treated like straight shit. I didn't care about any of them…

But Julia…She wasn't one of the other mindless girls here. I knew that. I've always known it. A thousand times more beautiful than Pansy and a million times more interesting and brave and kind. I remembered her helping Stevenson today, getting on her knees to help him with his books…and the countless times she stood up for that scarfaced git Potter…and all the times she stood up for me.

She was more than good looks and money. I was suddenly angry that that was all Blaise saw in her. He didn't deserve her. He would just dump her after he got what he wanted. But I knew even as I thought all these things that I'd have to let him chase after her. I'd have to let anyone chase after her. And whoever she'd choose...I would just have to turn the other cheek and pretend I didn't care. Because as much as I believed no one would ever be good enough for Julia…

I was the last person that could ever deserve her.

"On what exactly Draco? This isn't like you. You've been with all the richest and prettiest girls here, why, have you finally met your competition?" Pansy spat at me.

I rolled my eyes at her, "I didn't ask for your opinion whore. Blaise can have her."

Blaise looked smug and nodded but Pansy continued, "weakling." She muttered.

I stood up abruptly and Crabbe and Goyle tensed at my sides.

"What did you say to me?" I spat.

Pansy just raised her eyebrows, "she's the million galleon prize at this school and you won't touch her because you know you can't have her. That's just news to me."

She looked away bored. I sat back down internally fuming. Her hypotheses were wrong; I didn't want Julia because she was the supposed "prize" of the school. But she was right; I knew all too well that she would never be mine.

* * *

Jennifer's note: Thank you for reading! As always I am always so thankful for any feedback you want to give. I'm sorry if you're a little disappointed that I didn't delve into their other years as thoroughly and just jumped to their 4th year, but, for the sake of the story they had to be much older...Thank you : ) Have a good Halloween!


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